A Hero Begins
by Kaarina Helvete
Summary: ZACK SPOILERS! Don't read if you don't know about Zack! What happened inside Cloud's head to make his personality change after Zack died? What was he thinking about at he trudged towards Midgar? How did Tifa find him at the train station? Read on to know.
1. Confusion

Ah, I haven't been working on the second chapter to the Rufus story, I'm sorry T_T I guess here's something top tie you over until I get the creative juices flowing again =D

I'm starting to get obsessed with things we've never gotten to see during the whole FFVII story... or things we've only seen a little bit of. Yesterday, I was thinking about Cloud, and what exactly was going through his head after Zack died. I mean, what screwed his head up so much? And how exactly did he get to the bar in sector 7, aye? And so, I'm writing what happened =D I don't think it will be that long, but oh well. Here it goes. I hope the beginning isn't too chiche by now, so many people have described it in their own little way...

* * *

Confusion

Cold rain droplets fell all around him, covering the hard ground in puddles. As he stared at the sky, rain got in his eyes; it stung. But he didn't care one bit. It was nothing compared to the pain of his heart being torn and ripped apart inside his chest. He didn't dare look back down at what lay in front of him. He didn't want to see it, he didn't want his fears to be confirmed. This couldn't be happening, it was impossible.

And yet, he had seen it with his own eyes. He'd heard his best friend's voice, pained and weak, as he took his last breaths. He held Zack's sword in his limp arms, denying what he had seen in front of him. No, Zack wasn't dead. He couldn't be. But then, why was he lying there with his eyes closed? Why did he tell Cloud to live for him, on his behalf? All of Zack's hopes and dreams, they belonged to Cloud now. At least that's what he had said.

He'd said they were going to Midgar, to be mercenaries. He remembered that much. Did Zack want Cloud to take him along? Well, if Zack's life was also Cloud's, then that would be easy. The rain fell in lighter amounts now; the storm was almost over. It was as if the planet was telling him to get up and go, to go live his life, so that Zack might live too. The last small drops fell onto his face, making him blink for the first time in a long while. The sun shone brightly into his glowing, blue-green eyes. He didn't remember everything looking so clear before. He lowered his head, looking at the sword in his hands. This was the proof that his best friend once lived. His eyes moved to focus on the closed eyelids of Zack Fair, SOLDIER, First Class. He just looked so... unnatural. The energetic, carefree, lively Zack was nowhere to be seen. But his eyes, albeit closed, showed how peaceful he was. Maybe he truly believed that Cloud could live for him, that he would take care of everything.

Zack was smiling. At least that hadn't changed. He may have been dead, but his smile was still there, the same heartwarming and cheerful smile that Cloud remembered. Everything would be okay, he decided. He would go to Midgar, and become a mercenary, just like Zack said they would.. _Hold onto your dreams; that's what you said, right?_ He thought. Zack had entrusted him with his life, his pride, his dreams. He would live for the both of them. _I will not forget. _He stood up, slowly, gradually becoming accustomed to using his legs after so long. He didn't want to accept it, but it was true. He had to go on, but he couldn't forget, either.

He looked at his best friend one last time, a pained look on his face. This would be the last time he saw Zack. But if he lived both of their lives from now on, wouldn't that mean that Zack was still with him, in a way? He closed his eyes, finally accepting what he had to do. "Thank you." He said. He was thankful for everything his friend had done for him, for fighting for both their lives. Now, he would take over; Zack could finally rest in peace.

"Good night, Zack." With one final word, he turned away, leaving the corpse of his best friend, but at the same time, taking Zack with him.

* * *

He never thought such a burden would be so heavy.

As he trudged through the desert towards Midgar, he dragged the huge Buster Sword behind him, struggling with every step. Before long he was panting, and had to stop every now and then. What on Gaia had made him so weak and tired? He tried to remember, why were they running? Why had Zack given his life for him, and told him to go to Midgar? He couldn't remember. All he remembered was the anger he felt towards someone he trusted, the person who had taken his mother and his entire village away from him.

Sephiroth.

Was he the reason they were running? Would Zack run from Sephiroth, after what he had done to Nibelheim? No, he would stand and fight, wouldn't he? And Cloud would have helped, he knew that much. Then, what was he doing, while Zack fought? Cloud dug deep into his memories, desperate to find an answer. The only one he could think of was that he did indeed fight, he was the one who confronted Sephiroth. But then, what happened after that? Did they actually fight? What had happened to Tifa? And ultimately, why were He and Zack running?

Why did everything look so... different?

Not only did everything _look_ different, but also sounded different. It was as if all of his senses were enhanced exponentially. He could see the individual grains of sand under his feet, and insects scurrying past his boots. The scraping of the Buster Sword behind him was deafening, yet it did no damage to his hearing. He heard his own heartbeat, pounding loud and fast in his ears. It was amazing all the different things he noticed now that he wouldn't have before. But only SOLDIERs had special treatments that gave them enhanced abilities. So why did he, a mere grunt, have such amazing abilities? He looked down at his uniform, covered in dirt and grime. Even he could see that it was the uniform of a SOLDIER, First Class. Why was he wearing it? He pieced everything together in his head—He had the super enhanced abilities that only SOLDIER had, _and_ he was wearing the uniform of a First Class. Did that mean that he had actually made it into SOLDIER, after all?

Did it mean he wasn't a total failure, and he might actually deserve to live his life, along with that of his best friend's?

He liked the idea. It seemed that at every point in his life, he was put down by everybody, looked down on by everyone. And not without good reason. He didn't know how to talk to people, he couldn't fight, and his rifle skills were simply atrocious. But between then and now, did he suddenly wake up, and show everyone who they were messing with? Was he really, finally a SOLDIER? He was really starting to like that idea.

_When you meet Aerith, I'm counting on you._

What was that? He looked around for a voice, a body to go with that voice, anything that might be able to form words and speak. There was nothing, no one. Was he going insane? No... how could he, when he saw everything so clearly?

Who was Aerith? Who was counting on him after he found her? It was all too confusing. He had to focus on his mission, his dream. He had to get to Midgar. He was almost there, it was so close to him now. He could see individual buildings on the outer parts of the city. The sky was beginning to darken because of the smog that lay like a blanket over the entire area. He recognized the city , it had been his home for the last two years.

Home. He thought of Nibelheim, and everything he had left behind. Everything that was probably all but rubble and ashes by now. His mother, who had died in the flames of her own home. Tifa, oh _God, _Tifa! What had happened to her after Sephiroth hurt her? Was she alive? Did he get there in time to save her? No, he didn't remember doing anything to save her, just running after Sephiroth and confronting him. Then, he was too late, too late to keep his promise.

Was she dead, because he wasn't there to protect her, like he said he would be?

The thought made him want to cry. He stopped, and sank to his knees, weak and unnerved. The only thing keeping him from collapsing was his sword, which he held on to with half-hearted motivation. What was he doing here, why was he running? He looked at the ground in front of him, little specks of dirt growing damp from the falling of his tears. Look at him, a First Class SOLDIER, on his knees, crying in the desert. It must have looked pathetic. Soon, his vision blurred slightly. That was only expected, because of the tears in his eyes obstructing his vision. He shook his head and quickly wiped them away, trying to get a hold of himself. There was nothing he could do except what he set out to do—to go to Midgar, and become a mercenary. However, after he was certain his eyes were dry, his vision was still blurred by something. He knelt there, confused. That's when the pain started. First, his head throbbed behind his right eye, causing him to wince. Then a sharp pain in the front of his head made him let go of the sword, and fall forward onto the hard ground. Then it seemed like everything in his whole body hurt—it practically hurt to breathe. What was happening to him? He felt nauseous, and the pain in the back of his head was killing him. He knelt on his knees and elbows, holding his head, as if the pressure would get rid of the pain. He cried out as his head throbbed, pounding in his ears. He couldn't hear or see anything he could before. All he heard was his head throbbing and his own pained yelps.

* * *

Soon, the pain subsided, and he gasped for air. He was exhausted. What the hell had made that happen? He wasn't an expert in health, but he may have been dehydrated. He decided he needed to get to Midgar as fast as possible, or he might lose everything he fought so hard to accomplish. He might lose his freedom, and his beloved dream, the dream that lay just a little ahead, in Midgar.

Why was he going to Midgar, again?

He sat up, grabbing the hilt of the sword once again. What... was his dream, exactly? He thought for a moment. That was it, he was going to become a mercenary, and do all kinds of odd jobs, depending on what people paid for them. He was a First Class SOLDIER, so they'd have to pay big for him to do anything. He had fought hard to gain his rank, and he wanted a load of compensation for his skills. Troublesome things, dangerous things, he was going to do everything depending on the reward. He nodded, making up his mind. He pulled himself up, using the sword as a balance, then pulled it out of the ground. It was still heavy to carry, so he continued to drag it behind him. Geez, if this was his sword, shouldn't he be used to its weight? He'd have to train a bit after he got to Midgar, to get his strength back up. No one was going to hire a weak SOLDIER.

No, he wasn't a SOLDIER. Whatever had happened, it had resulted in him leaving the force. Therefore he was an ex-SOLDIER, right? This definitely wasn't a mission brought on by Shinra; it was one he decided on himself. He was free of any burden, he could do as he chose. He could see the entrance to Midgar now, it was so close. Shinra headquarters towered above him, looming ominously over the city. He realized he would never again set foot in that building, unless someone paid him to, of course. He was panting again, what would people think if they saw him in that state? Well, he'd figure that out later, after he actually got into the city. It was getting harder and harder to walk straight. He had almost collapsed a few times, and was starting to lose the weak grip he had on the sword. After a while, he was trudging along, almost unconsciously. At this point, he didn't care what people thought, he had to get into the city. He had to get farther into it, where all the people were. He looked up from where he had been staring at the ground, confused. There were a bunch of people now, rushing past him to their own unknown destination. He observed his surroundings more, and saw a train to his right. People were getting on and off like they usually do at such a train station; everything was normal. It seemed no one even took a second glance at him as they rushed by.

Was he finally in the city? It looked like it. He remembered the old train station, it hadn't changed a bit. And if he was there, that must mean he had made it to Midgar, finally. He panted, and tried to take another step, and failed. He once again used the sword as a brace so he wouldn't fall facefirst and get trampled.

"Hey, are you doing okay?"

Something clicked in his mind; he'd heard that same phrase recently. Although the voice sounded different. He looked up, panting some more; he just wanted to sleep right now, more than anything else.

He squinted so see who the hell might give a crap about him Ah, it seemed that the train conductor did, at least. There weren't as many people now; many had been getting on or off the train, which was about to leave.

"Hey man, seriously, are you going to be okay? I've gotta go, people are waiting on me..."

Heh, figured. He didn't want to deal with any problems today, just wanted to drive his train around like he always did, with no complications. Well, Cloud didn't give a crap anymore. The guy could do what he wanted, but Cloud had just finished a long journey, and wanted a well-deserved nap. And so he obliged himself by promptly falling to his knees, and just let go.

* * *

"Hey, hey!" The man yelled as the young SOLDIER fell to his knees, and proceeded to collapse onto the rough pavement. The man ran forward to catch him before he hit, but someone got in the way. So poor Cloud hit his head. "Excuse me, sorry." The man said to the rather rude person. Man, this day was already rough without people collapsing in front of him on his shift. His boss would kill him if he found out that he'd delayed an entire train just to help one guy. He reached the youth and knelt beside him. "Hey, seriously, you can't do this. Hey, does anybody know this guy?!" The second part he yelled out to anyone who might be listening. "Come _on_, don't _do _ this to me! Urgh..." He shook the youth a little bit, seeing if he would respond—nothing. The conductor was getting worried; he had to go, but he couldn't just _leave_ this guy here. _Wait a second..._ he thought. _Holey SHIT! This guy looks like a SOLDIER!_ Now he looked panicked. He really hated those guys; they were insanely strong, and even this scrawny-looking one could probably rip him in half. He looked up, at anyone who might help, but to no avail.

"Damnit, please, someone, help me over here, this guy needs help!"

* * *

The young woman could hardly wait any longer; how much longer would they make her wait? They were late, way too late. They all had a meeting in an hour, and Barett would kill them if they were late. They all had their own things to do before they went to the bar, so they had all agreed to go early, but it looked like those plans would have to be ditched if they didn't get here soon. She looked around the crowd for a redhead and her companion, and found nothing. She was starting to give up, as many of the people who had gotten off the train had already left. She groaned, and turned around, still looking.

And then she saw them both, standing next to one of the streetlights. Oh, was she going to reprimand them. She fumed, and started off towards them.

"Biggs! Jessie!!! I'm gonna kill you both!" With that, they both jumped. Jessie was swinging around the pole, and fell off.

"Uh oh..." She said with wide eyes. She then turned a sheepish grin to her companion, who returned it with a shrug.

The woman practically stomped over to them, steaming. " I got here half an hour ago, and looked all over for you! What were you doing?!"

The duo looked at her guiltily. The young man answered, "Well, we were waiting for _you..._"

The woman just stared at him in disbelief. Then she gave up and shook her head, sighing. "Well, we've still got an hour. Just don't do that again, okay? Seriously, don't tell me to come so early if you want some time alone."

The two blushed, and looked away from each other. The woman just shook her head even more; this proved her speculations. "Let's go, you two lovebirds." This caused two faces to become even more red as she walked away.

"Hey, seriously, you can't do this. Hey, does anybody know this guy?!"

She stopped. Was someone in trouble? She looked back at her companions, who just shrugged. She looked back at where the voice came from, worriedly. Then her mind made up, she called back to her friends, "Hey, I'm gonna go find out what's going on over there, okay?" She ran off into the crowd, which was growing smaller, luckily. It would be easier to find who was yelling.

"Damnit, please, someone, help me over here, this guy needs help!"

She walked faster; someone definitely needed help. "I'm coming, just stay right where you are!" She called. She dodged a few people carrying a rather long package, and broke out of the dissipating crowd. It seemed her destination was a little off to the side, where there were no people. Then she spotted the train conductor, knelt beside a young man with bright blond hair.

"Okay, I'm here. What happen—" She stopped in her tracks. Were those blond _spikes_ coming out of the man's head?

"Oh, thank _god_ someone actually gives a crap about people, can you help me with this guy?" The conductor asked. Then he noticed she wasn't moving toward him anymore, and looked up at her. "Uh, are you going to help, or not?"

The young woman just stared at the blond, not believing what lay before her. Thee was only one person on this whole planet who had hair as crazy at _that,_ and he had left for Midgar seven years ago. This could _not_ be a coincidence.

"C-Cloud?!"

When she started running again, the conductor relaxed a little. It looked like she would help, after all. "Hey, do you know him?" She reached them, and knelt beside the blond.

"He's... h-he's a friend. What happened?"

"Man, I was just standing here, doing my work, when all of a sudden, here comes this guy, with a sword bigger than _he_ is. I didn't know _what_ to think. Then I saw he was sorta tired-looking, so I asked if he was okay. Then he collapsed! That's all I know, lady. Sorry if I can't help you."

The woman looked worried, extremely worried. She touched the blond's shoulder, and looked at his face. From what she could tell, this was indeed Cloud, her childhood friend. Well, not really _friend,_ but, they were neighbors.

"Cloud... can you hear me? Are you alright?" No answer. He just lay there with his eyes half open, staring at nothing. It scared her to see him like that. She looked at his clothes; it looked like he was wearing a SOLDIER's uniform. Did that mean he had actually succeeded, and become a SOLDIER like he said he would? Then she saw how dirty it was, and snapped back to reality. What had he been through to put him in this state? Had he escaped from a battle, with his life barely intact?

Was he dying right in front of her, while she sat here and did nothing?

She gasped, her eyes watering. She had to do something, he needed help right away. Could she take him to the bar? That seemed like the most immediate source of treatment at the moment. If he needed more, she would find more. But how would she...

"Look lady, I've gotta go, or my boss is gonna kill me. Sorry I couldn't be of any help." The conductor stood, and started walking away. The woman looked up worriedly. _Damn, there's just no justice in the world..._ she thought.

"Hope he's alright, if that's any consolation!" The man called before disappearing on the train. The woman looked back down at her old neighbor, and winced. Maybe the man just wanted to protect his livelihood. Maybe he had a family that couldn't afford him losing his job. She sighed. There really was no justice in the world today.

"Hey, Tifa, where'd you go?!" Cried the voice of a young woman. It sounded like Jessie. Were they coming to help? That would be... helpful at the moment.

"I'm over here, next to the train!" She waved, in case they didn't hear her over the train's squealing engine.

"Ah, look, there she is!" Yelled Biggs. He started running in her direction, dragging Jessie along with him.

Tifa gave a sigh of relief. She thought they had left. "I thought you guys were already gone..." She said.

Biggs answered, "Well, at first we were just going to wait for you, but then we figured you might need help." Jessie nodded, looking down at the blond lying at her feet.

"It looks like we were right." She said. "What happened? Do you know him?"

Tifa tried to explain quickly, as Cloud needed immediate treatment. "It looks like he just collapsed here, and now he won't do anything or say anything. It's like he's in a coma or something. Can you help me carry him?"

Biggs raised an eyebrow. "To where? Does he need a hospital?"

Tifa looked worried. "I don't know... but I figured the bar would be closest, then we could find out what's wrong with him."

Jessie frowned. "Also, I don't think we could pay the hospital fee, no offense." That was true, all of them were short on income at the moment.

That worried Tifa even more. What if they couldn't help Cloud, and he did indeed need more than they could do for him? The thought scared her. "... Do you think... that Barret would mind?"

Both Jessie and Biggs frowned this time. Biggs answered, "Well, he looks like a SOLDIER... I don't think he'd like it at all."

Tifa winced; she knew that answer was coming. "I don't think Cloud would hurt us. He's a really shy person, and he joined SOLDIER to help others." She said, determined. "And now, it our turn to help him."

Biggs and Jessie looked at each other, trying to decide what to say. What could they do? Here was a man that needed their help; were they just going to leave him here to die?

Jessie looked at the blond, thinking. She bit her lip as Tifa looked up at her, pleading. Biggs sighed and smirked, "So... you _do_ know him."

Tifa blushed. "We were... neighbors. He was really nice, but extremely shy. At least that's how I remember him... But really, I don't think he'll do anything to jeopardize our mission."

Jessie and Biggs looked at her, and sighed. "Alright, I'll carry him, you guys can get his sword." Said Biggs. Tifa's face brightened.

"Thank you so much, I won't let you down. You'll see that I'm right!" She said with a determined smile.

"Yeah yeah, just make sure he doesn't die, or there will be hell to pay." As the young man picked up the blond. He slung Cloud's arm over his shoulder and carried him in a piggy-back. Jessie grabbed the hilt of his sword and tried to lift it. She got it off the ground, but stumbled backward. The force she needed to lift it had flung it over her head, knocking her backward.

"Holey crap, this thing is heavy! How can a guy like him carry this thing?!" She said as Tifa steadied her.

Biggs chickled. "Yeah, no kidding. I swear, this guy's like a sack of potatoes, he weighs _nothing_. Do you remember him like this, Tifa?"

Tifa blushed again. "Well, he always _was_ kind of short for his age... You sure you got that, Jessie?"

Jessie nodded. She had the hilt of the sword balanced on her shoulder, and was steadily making her way forward. "Yeah, it's not like I've never carried anything this heavy before." She grinned.

Tifa sighed, gratefully. She was glad to have met these two when she came here. Otherwise, she might have gone insane from all the stress and chaos of this city. _Thank you, I really owe you guys one._


	2. Fear

Oooooiiiiiieeeeee... I'm back, finally. I just finished reading Pendragon book 9, so that took a bit ^_^; It was utterly AMAZING, though. I may have gotten a few ideas for my original story from it, thanks D.J. MacHale =D So, I'm back. I thought I'd finish this story up nice and quick, so I could work on my Rufus story again *drools* Uhh... I dunno what else to say. Enjoy, comments and reviews are rewarded with cookies. Or other things you may want, I can work something out =D Oh yeah, not the most creative titles so far, but... eh ^_^;

* * *

Fear

Tifa wanted to move fast. Although it was a little too much to ask for, considering she and her friends had to dodge in between countless amounts of people on the way to the bar. It didn't stop her from worrying how Marlene was faring, all by herself.

It wasn't long until the trio had lugged their sack of potatoes to the bar—apparently called the Seventh Heaven. It also didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were carrying a very sick-looking sack of potatoes. Tifa took it upon herself to get everyone out of the way.

"Alright, make way, people! We've got a sick puppy coming through, and he needs help, right now!"

Did she have to make it so... obvious?

Obviously, yes. The small amount of customers saw the doors burst open and the young bartender yelling—a few had had the liberty of testing out her skills as a bouncer before—and therefore did as they were told. The man called Biggs quickly carried the sick blond to the back of the bar, away from publicity. Jessie followed, looking for a place to store the massive sword. Tifa was still taking hold of the situation, much to the dismay of the few customers.

"Marlene, are you down here? Marlene!"

There was a small cry from the back, where her companions had retreated to. "I'm here, Tifa!" A young girl—probably about four years old—scurried out into the bar with a skeptical look on her face. "Who's that guy?" She pointed towards the back, where she had come from.

Tifa answered quickly, "He's a friend. Would you mind helping me for a little bit?"

The little girl frowned, confused. "Okay... but what about the customers?" She looked out into the bar, where a few irked customers frowned back, either impatiently because they had been waiting to be served for a long time, or because they had been moved aside so suddenly.

Tifa thought for a moment. She definitely couldn't leave the bar unattended. Perhaps Jessie could watch things for her? She went to the back, and looked into the room where her two friends had laid Cloud on a sofa. "Jessie, can you watch the bar until Barret gets here?" She really hoped so, for she had no idea what was wrong with Cloud, or how long he would last in his state.

Jessie looked up from where she sat by Cloud's side, and answered, "Well, I can _watch_ it, but I have no idea how to mix drinks." She shrugged, and Biggs sighed.

"I don't either, but I could watch the bar while you two take care of this guy. " He said, jabbing a finger at Cloud's inert figure.

Tifa thought again. She guessed that could work, and Jessie didn't seem to be complaining. But why didn't Biggs want to help out with Cloud, and instead want to tend the bar, which he _definitely_ didn't know how to do? As if to read her mind, he added, "I'm not good with healing people, either. I know how to break things, not fix them." He shrugged, and walked by Tifa, out into the narrow hallway that lead to the bar. "You gals just keep him alive and comfortable, m'mkay?" He walked on without another word. The two "gals" stared down the hall with sick expressions—_things? Gals?_

Tifa shook her head, disgusted at such a remark. "Marlene! Come in here, Biggs is watching the bar!" She called to the little girl. She left the hallway and entered the room. She knelt down next to Cloud and felt his forehead. He was practically on fire. To put it simply, he looked horrible. His face was a sickly, pale green color, along with the rest of his skin that was revealed by his grungy-looking uniform. She could have sworn there was blood caked in his hair in one spot. She brushed a lock of hair out of his face to get a better look at him when she saw his eyes. She nearly fell over from the shock.

The little girl leaned in from the hallway, bracing herself on the doorframe. "I'm here!" She said with her sweet innocence. She looked curious, with a hint of worry. Tifa looked over and quickly regained her composure. She didn't need a frightened little girl at the moment.

"Ah, Marlene, could you get a wet cloth for me, real quick?" The girl nodded, and ran back out of the room. Tifa looked back at her old neighbor with wide, concerned eyes.

"You went white as a sheet for a second there... is everything okay?" Asked Jessie from where she leaned up against the wall, her arms folded in front of here.

It look a little bit for the question to register. "Huh? Oh, yeah... other than his seemingly comatose state and green complexion, yeah, everything's fine." Tifa answered, with a bit of sarcasm.

Jessie laughed. "Man, nothing gets you down, does it?" She shook her head and sighed. "But really, you saw something. What was it?"

Tifa just stared into Cloud's eyes. They were half-closed and vacant, which was only expected, sick as he was. The thing that surprised her so was the slight glow they had. They weren't the same deep blue she remembered—they had a bright green glow in them, a characteristic only of SOLDIER.

"His eyes are different; they have a glow now like they didn't have before. I guess he really did make it into SOLDIER." She said with a small voice. Part of her was intimidated by her old friend. No, he wasn't a friend. They never had anything in common, and they never hung out, so why did she call him a friend? He had left her seven years ago, and now he was a big, bad SOLDIER. Did he even remember her? She frowned at the thought.

Did he even remember his promise to her?

He'd already fulfilled half of it by getting into SOLDIER, that was for sure. But what about the part where he said he would be there for her, whenever she was in a pinch? She could only wait and find out.

"Is this good?" The little girl walked up to her with a damp cloth, holding it out. Tifa looked up and smiled.

"Yes, that's fine. Also, could you get a bowl of cold water?" She took the cloth as the girl smiled and nodded, happy that she could help. She ran out to do as she was asked. Tifa looked back at Cloud's still form and held his hand. It almost hurt to touch; she winced. He really was on fire, it seemed. She wiped his flaming forehead with the cloth, hoping that it would do _something_.

Marlene walked into the room this time, so as not to spill the water she was carrying. "Where do I put this?" She asked. It seemed she was struggling to balance the large bowl in her small hands. She didn't have to get _that_ much...

"Oh, uh..." Tifa looked around for a bit. If she put it on the floor it might be knocked over, and that wouldn't be fun to clean up. She saw a small table next to the couch, where Jessie stood against the wall. "Ah! Right on that table there. Jessie, could you hand it to me?" Jessie pushed herself off the wall and handed the table to Tifa, who took it, bringing it around to where she could kneel next to it. Marlene walked over slowly, and set the bowl down. She looked at Tifa, as if asking for something else to do.

"Hmm... I don't think there's much else to do... I think I'll just get his fever down and see what happens then." Tifa said to no one in particular. Marlene's head drooped a little; she wanted to help Tifa's friend get better. Tifa noticed this and said quickly, "Well, maybe you can help Biggs! You know more about bartending than he does because of me, right?"

The girl's head shot up and she she grinned. "Can I help him mix things? I know a lot of the drinks from watching you."

Tifa frowned. Trusting a four-year-old girl with bartending did _not_ sound like a good idea. But then again, Biggs could make sure nothing went wrong, and Jessie could help. Plus, she really didn't want to leave Cloud in here alone, or with someone who didn't quite trust him. After a bit of thought, she decided that her friends could keep out of trouble long enough for Barret to get there. She could tend to Cloud, and customers might even get served. Her business might not fail because she took a day off. She smiled. "Alright. But make sure you don't mess up, okay? And don't drink anything, or your daddy will kill me. Jessie, you go with her and help." Jessie raised an eyebrow.

Marlene smiled wide and said, "Thanks, Tifa! I won't mess up, I promise! Come on Jessie." She ran over to the woman—who had gone back to leaning against the wall—and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door. Jessie just sighed and capitulated, allowing the tiny girl to pull her out into the hall.

Tifa watched them go, glad that she could be alone for a while. Of course she was glad she got to see Cloud again after so long, but she was worried for his life. What exactly had he been through to make him so sick? She felt guilty. What if he had never made that promise to her? What if... what if he had done something horrible to himself, so he could get into SOLDIER, and keep that promise? He had worked so hard it seemed, to keep that promise. And he'd done it, but at what price? She only hoped he would wake up and tell her. She vowed to help him get better, no matter what she had to do. If he needed a hospital, then she would pay for it. It was the least she could do for him. She dipped the cloth in the bowl of water to wet it again, wrung it out, and placed it back on his forehead. She wanted to cry; she felt useless. All she could do was wait and see if he got better. Or worse. She didn't want to think about the latter.

* * *

When Marlene and Jessie reached the bar, the customers looked annoyed. Some looked angry. Some had gotten up and left. Poor Biggs was trying to calm down a couple of angry guys at the counter, and was failing. Jessie frowned, stomping over to the two angry young men.

"Look, _boys, _calm down, and get back in your seat. We'll be with you shortly." She was sure to put extra emphasis on the fact that they were acting immature, while resting her hands on her hips, leaning forward a little. The "boys" apparently weren't used to a woman giving orders, and backed off. _Well, that was easy._ Jessie thought with a smirk. She felt a tug on her pants, and she looked down at the little girl.

"That man over there wants an Aperol Sour Martini." She pointed to a man over in one of the booths. He was waiting patiently, which was surprising. It seemed everyone else in the bar was frustrated and restive.

Jessie raised an eyebrow. "Okay, how about you tell Biggs how to make them, and I take orders?" The little girl smiled.

"Okay. Biggs, can you put me on the counter?" Jessie went to the couple of noisy boys she had just taken care of, so they would stop causing trouble. Biggs picked of the small girl and set her on the counter. Marlene hung her legs over the side and pointed behind the young man. "You need that orange stuff, some lemon juice, and that syrup over there."

Biggs raised an eyebrow, wondering how a four-year-old girl knew how to make martinis. He shook his head and turned around, grabbing the items. He set them on the counter and waited for more instructions.

"Okay, now you fill the shaker with some of the orange stuff, then add the lemon juice and some syrup. But only use a little syrup, or it will be too sweet. You got it?" Biggs looked at her incredulously for a moment.

"Uh, yeah... what shaker?"

"The one behind you, silly!" She pointed to a silver, thermos-looking container with a screw cap. Apparently he was supposed to shake the stuff up, right? He picked it up and unscrewed the lid. He did as Marlene said, and filled it with a bit of the "orange stuff", which had a very strong smell of liquor. What the hell was Tifa thinking, teaching little Marlene about this stuff?! Well, he supposed it didn't do any harm, as long s she didn't drink it. What happened next reassured him.

"Eew, hurry up, that stuff smells really bad." Came a nasal-sounding complaint. Marlene was holding her nose in distaste. Biggs didn't think he'd have to worry about her drinking anything alcoholic for a long time. He squirted some lemon juice in—enough to make it sour—and added the syrup. He screwed the lid on, making sure it wouldn't fly off when he shook it.

Marlene, thankful that the smell was contained, said with great enthusiasm, "Okay, now you shake away!" She shook an imaginary shaker in her small hands to show him how. Bigs laughed at the sight, which made Marlene laugh as well. A rather annoyed-looking Jessie came over and said, "Come on, stop messing around! I got a guy over here asking for a Fuzzy Screw, what the hell is that?"

Marlene laughed more. "That's a cocktail. Hurry up, we have customers!"

Biggs sighed as he shook up the martini, and Jessie went to get more orders. He figured it would be alright, as long as Barret didn't cause trouble when he got there. Then he laughed out loud, gaining a look from Marlene.

"What's so funny?"

He looked at her and sighed. "Oh, nothing. You're really good at this, you know?"

Marlene beamed. "Tifa says I learn fast. Hurry up, Jessie has a lot of orders coming!"

Biggs nodded and served the martini, getting to work on the cocktail. He chuckled again, under his breath. As long as Barret didn't cause trouble? Who was he kidding, anyway?

* * *

As it turned out, hoping that Barret wouldn't cause trouble was just as wishful as asking for Cloud's hair to lay flat. This happened _every time_ Barret came over, in other words, every time they all held a meeting. When Barret arrived, everyone knew. Most of the customers had the liberty of a warning beforehand as to what would happen, for they'd been at the bar before at one of those fated times. Those people quickly stood and ran for the doors, in hopes of reaching them before they swung open and knocked them aside. Some were lucky and escaped, but a few were indeed knocked backward into the bar when the doors flew open. What stood in the doorway was an enormous man with a gun in place of his right arm. His skin was very dark, and his open vest revealed impossibly large pecs. He had a few metal bands around his waist, covering his abs, which must have also been impossibly large. He was glaring at everyone else in the room, who obviously had no idea what was going on. Poor guys.

"Awright, everyone outta here, NOW! We're closed for the day!" He ran into the bar, pushing a few people out the door behind him. The few who sat petrified at first got up and ran after them. Those who had been hit by the door scrambled out, holding various hurt body parts. Barret stood in the midst of it all, reveling in his dictatorial power.

Marlene jumped off the counter. "Daddy!" She ran around it and jumped into her father's arms"

"Marlene! How've you been? They been treatin' you right, hmm?" He picked her up and put her on his shoulder, holding there with one arm. "Get in here fools! We're startin' the meetin'!!!"

Jessie looked at him with annoyed look. "Do you always have to scare everyone out of here when you come? It's damaging the business--"

"Of _course_ I do! We don't wan' people to hear us plannin' do we?!" Barret said, as if she were stupid. Jessie winced.

Biggs called from around the counter. "Well, we could just go in the back and discuss it while someone else takes care of business in here... then no one would overhear, right?"

Barret shook his head. "No way, someone could still sneak in. We gotta make sure no one's inside before we start plannin'." Marlene shook her head, mimicking her father. The other two couldn't argue; they had no choice but to do as he said. Also, it was better to be safe than sorry, right?

Barret nodded. "Right, then. Where's Tifa?" He looked around for the dark-haired girl who ran the bar. Biggs answered him, cautiously.

"She's in the back, tending to one of her friends. He's real sick, you know. We found him at the train station."

The burly man raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, she's part of this too. I don' think her friend is gonna die while we're havin' our meetin'. Hey, Tifa!" He started walking down the hall after setting Marlene down next to the stairs. The little girl ran up to her room. That is, the one she used when her father wasn't around.

Biggs tried to warn Barret of what was coming. "Hey, Barret, there's something you should know about him. He's a--"

"SOLDIER?! In MY hideout?! Tifa, what're you thinkin'?!" Barret obviously wasn't happy about poor Cloud laying on the couch. Not because he was dirty or sick, but because of his uniform.

"Barret, let me explain--"

"Tifa, this could jeopardize everythin' we've worked for! SOLDIER, in the hideout... that's just plain STUPID!"

"Barret, please--"

"What if he's just actin'?! What if he's heard everything we've said?! What if--"

"BARRET!!!"

That shut him up. At least a little bit. That was just long enough for her to defend herself.

"Please, I couldn't just leave my friend out there! If we hadn't brought him here, who knows what might have happened to him!?" She huffed. Her eyes looked watery.

"B-but Tifa, he could hear--"

"He can't hearANYTHING! He won't answer me, he won't react to anything I do to him! It's like he's already dead!" She was crying now. She turned away, wiping her eyes.

Barret didn't know what to do. He didn't like how this was turning out.

"His eyes are just... blank. It's like he's staring right through me. But he's breathing, so he's alive. I don't understand. I don't like seeing him like this." She hiccuped, wiping her eyes across her arm again.

Barret was torn. There _had_ to be a way to tell if this spiky-haired guy was faking it. Then he got an idea.

"Tifa, stand back."

The woman was confused. Why would he tell her that? Then he raised his arm. His gun-arm. That was when she panicked.

"Barret, what are you doing?"

"Stand back, I'm gonna blow this guy away if he doesn't run!"

"Barret, he _can't_ run! He's sick!"

"Stand back--"

"No! You can't hurt him, please! Barret!"

Barret stormed over to the blond and aimed at his head. Tifa kept screaming at him to stop, but there was no way he was gonna let this guy hurt any of his friends. He had to do what he had to do, whether this kid was Tifa's friend or not.

"Say goodbye, Spike."

"BARRET!"

Click.

Nothing happened. Nobody's head was obliterated by a spray of chaingun fire. The blond didn't move even a millimeter, let alone say goodbye. Tifa stood up and slapped Barret across the face.

"Whatheheck?!" Was his response.

"Whatheheck, yourself! Don't _ever_ do that again! If you had lost control of that gun, Cloud would be dead now!" She huffed, trying to calm down. She knelt back down next to her friend, glaring at the huge man in front of her.

Barret frowned. "Look, it was the only way for me to make sure, okay? I don' want anyone messin' us up."

"Yeah, I know." Tifa was wiping Cloud's forehead again, refusing to look at the very man who could have killed him.

Barret kept frowning. "Man, I still don' trust him. He's Shinra scum!" Tifa didn't say anything to that. She didn't need to. Barret felt small hands on his leg as Marlene hugged him from behind.

"Daddy... is Tifa's friend a bad guy?" She looked up with worried eyes.

Barret's expression softened a little, and he looked down at his adoptive daughter. Now his face looked more pained than angry. "Marlene..."

The little girl kept going. "He didn't do anything, I swear! All we did was bring him in here, and he didn't move at all. He looks really sick, Daddy."

Barret frowned, and looked at the floor. He looked over to Tifa, then to the sick blond. It didn't look like the guy was going anywhere for a while, in the state that he was. He scowled, then grunted. "Awright, he can stay. But at the first sign o' him goin' against us, he's out! An' _you_ gotta take care o' him, y'hear?" He jabbed a finger in Tifa's direction. She wasn't looking, but she got the picture.

"Yes, your highness." She said with contempt. This jarred Barret even more, and he spun around, forcing Marlene to let go of him.

"And as I recall, this is _my_ hideout, not yours." She added. She still wasn't looking at him.

Barret froze, feeling both angry and guilty. He was angry because he knew she was right. He was guilty for being angry at someone he knew was right. Marlene latched onto his leg again, and he softened.

"Mmm..." He started. He wasn't used to apologizing. "I—I'm sorry Teef. I know this place is yours... I just don't wan' any of us getting' hurt, y'know? We've all worked so hard..." He turned back around to face her, slowly. Biggs and Jessie watched from the doorway, smiling. They _never_ got to see anything like this. Ever.

"Cloud won't hurt anyone, I'll make sure of it. Just start the meeting without me, okay?" Tifa looked up at the others.

"Naw, we can't do it without everyone. We still don' have enough members fo' that. Which reminds me..." Barret looked around, looking for something. Or someone. "Where the hell is Wedge?! That fool was suppose' to be right behind me!" He ran out of the room, leaving Biggs and Jessie giggling. They walked out behind him after a short fit of laughter. Jessie stopped halfway through the doorway.

"Hey, he's gonna be alright, okay?" She said, comfortingly.

Tifa looked up, and silently thanked her friend. The really owed her a lot Jessie gave her a nod, then walked out into the hallway. Tifa sighed, then looked at her old neighbor. "Well, now all that's left is for you to get better. So do that, okay?" She wet the cloth again, placed it on his forehead, and drooped her head. She was tired of all she had been through that day. Her bangs covered her face, but she didn't care. She might have if she'd seen Cloud's head move to the right a little, then move back. She needn't have worried; he wasn't giving up just yet.

Done! I just pulled this out of my butt today! Granted, it took ALL DAY, but eh, it was fun to write. Poor Cloud's a sack o' potatoes =D Anyways, There's still a chapter after this! I dunno how long it's gonna be though... I didn't think this chapter would be as long as it is. So there you go. Please review and stuff!

Oh yeah, just a note... I was wondering why Marlene was left at the bar all alone in the original game. Seriously, who the hell does that??? My brother countered that it was awesome that a four-year-old could run a bar by herself, but I thought it was highly unlikely. So, I sorta got rid of that plot hole. Tifa had left Marlene by herself for about an hour while she went and looked for Jessie and Biggs, and brought Cloud back. That's still stretching it in my opinion, but eh...


	3. Nightmares and Alleviation

I said I would update soon, maybe in two days. Hah. Hahahah. HAHAHAHAHA that's funny XD But I finally got this chapter up, yay for my lazy butt. Sadly, this may be the last, oh noes. I dunno, that's what I thought before I finished the last chapter. I just like to drag stuff out, don't I? Ah... anyway, I'd like to thank all the people who have faved, alerted, or reviewed my story! Thank you so much! I would put all your names here, but I don't remember the alerts or faves... I can recognize those who reviewed though! Thanks to **mom calling** and **QueenAlla** for the reviews =D And now, without further adieu... enjoy the end of this story. And sorry to those I couldn't recognize... you can message me and kick me in the butt, m'mkay?

Oh yes, one more thing. Does anyone know how to actually edit the document after its published? Because I publish my story/new chapter, and I find something wrong with it and try to fix it, but it doesn't show the changes in the published version. I'm a little confused... Is this just a problem with my account? Because then I don't know what to do. I contacted the web site a long time ago, and they never got back to me. It's kind of annoying... Please help T_T

Nightmares and Alleviation

Tifa stayed at the bar all day for the next few days, hardly leaving her old neighbor's side. How she could manage that was a mystery to anyone else in the house, except for maybe Marlene, who loved to help whenever possible. Tifa was looking for anything that might show improvement in Cloud's health, to show that he was alive, and not just an empty shell of a person. However, it would seem her efforts were wasted; he was not getting any better. Nothing stopped her from caring for him though. Nothing would, not until he entered the lifestream.

Meanwhile, her friends ran the bar for her, so they could all earn a living. With the extra help she didn't have before, the bar started to become a prosperous business, at least in relation to all the other small businesses in the area. Life was still hard, just not at hard as it used to be. Biggs was slowly learning how to be a bartender (courtesy of Marlene; it seemed Biggs was also a fast learner), and Jessie was quite the waitress. Even Wedge helped out with cleaning up and other small chores. It was like having her very own little elves, who did everything that needed doing, better than she could have ordered them to. After a while she started to feel guilty that her friends were doing all the work for her, and she was just sitting in one place all day. They assured her it was fine though, that she should focus on helping her friend. Everything worked out; the way things were going, the money they brought in from their work far surpassed the funds they would have received from Barret, had they gone through with their mission right away. Yes, all Tifa had to worry about was her friend Cloud.

Friend. Did she really consider him that? They had talked very little during their childhood, full conversations usually consisting of a "Hi, Tifa" and a "Hi, Cloud," then Cloud running off somewhere, not to be seen until the next day, or maybe the next. She didn't really know what to call him. He wasn't an acquaintance, since she had known him for so long. She just didn't know him very well, that was all. Was there something in between an "acquaintance" and a "friend?" She had no idea, but she felt there was.

She decided not to think about it, and to wait and see when Cloud woke up. In the meantime, there was plenty to worry about. Cloud's fever went down a few times, but not by much. It would usually be back up in the next few hours, so she never got her hopes up. He didn't get worse though, which was a relief. Maybe she wouldn't have to take him to the hospital, although the fee wasn't as much of a problem now. The problem was how the doctors would react to a very sick SOLDIER. How the heck did a SOLDIER get sick? It seemed highly unlikely, what with their bodies enhanced in every way possible. She couldn't think of anything that could make a SOLDIER ill, which brought her to the real problem. What exactly had happened to him? She didn't want to complicate anything by bringing him out into the open, at least until she knew what he'd been through. She even entertained the idea that he had been dismissed from the force, what with him being abandoned in the middle of the city, with nobody around to help. She needed to know what had happened, and for that, she needed him to wake up and tell her.

The wait was maddening, though. She never thought she'd worry so much in her life. For the first day after Cloud was brought to the bar, she did nothing but kneel beside him and check his forehead, to make sure he really wasn't on fire. She wondered if he could have brain damage because of his body temperature. She really hoped not. Although she didn't think he was hot enough for it to be that serious. She just had to watch him, and make sure he didn't get worse. That wasn't all she was afraid of, though. She'd heard of people losing their hearing because of a high fever, and she didn't want Cloud to have to live with that. She was glad that he wasn't getting any worse, though. But after the first day, her hopes began slipping away. Really all she wanted then was for him to stay alive a little longer, and maybe wake up.

She fell asleep by his side, still kneeling by the sofa, with her head on the small table. It wasn't the best position to be in, and it hurt her back and neck. But she was glad she did. She awoke to a small sound in the middle of the night, about 2 o'clock in the morning. She heard a moan, and jerked her head up, wrenching her neck. She cringed, and rubbed the back of her neck for a bit. When her eyes got used to the dark, she noticed that Cloud's head had moved. Before, he had been staring at the ceiling above, unmoving. Now, he stared at the wall next to him. She jumped up, trying to get a look at him. Was he awake? Was he getting better? She had to know.

She wished she hadn't looked. At first she was startled, and relieved. He was staring at the wall, of course, but it looked like he was squinting, as if he was trying to see. Relief flooded through her—he had moved, and was trying to look around. Did that mean he was finally conscious?

He moaned again, weakly. She gasped as he turned his head away from the wall, looking right at her. He was cringing, like he was in pain. And he was staring right at her. Her relief began to falter when he didn't recognize her. She knelt down beside him again, in hopes that he'd be able to see her better.

"C-Cloud... it's me, Tifa. Can you hear me?" She said in the most soothing voice she could muster. He squinted, and gasped in pain. His eyes glowed dimly in the dark room, making Tifa uneasy. However, he didn't make any indication that he recognized her. He couldn't see her, could he? She felt his forehead again, and he didn't react to her touch. His fever had gone down, thankfully. She felt a little relieved at this, but was unnerved at his catatonic state.

With a worried look, she knelt back down next to him. Maybe this was just a stage of the sickness, and it would pass in a little while. All she could do was make sure he was comfortable, and that his fever stayed down. She flinched when he groaned again, turning his head back towards the wall.

She had to do all that, and make sure she didn't go insane in the meantime. She knew he would get better, he had to. His fever had gone down, right? So why was he acting so... She liked him better when he was in a coma.

---

Jessie had elected to stay with Tifa while she was tending to Cloud, since she wasn't running the bar anymore. Tifa had offered to let her borrow her room, but Jessie wouldn't have it. She insisted that Tifa should sleep in her own bed, and didn't need to worry about her friend dying in the middle of the night. However, in the end, the two stubborn females agreed to disagree, and Jessie slept in Marlene's room, on the floor. Marlene sure didn't have a problem with it; she liked having extra company right nearby.

In the morning, Jessie opened the bar and got ready for the huge wave of customers that would come later in the day. A few odd ones came in the morning, but not all of them came for alcohol, thankfully. Some came to hang out before work, some came for breakfast, and some just came to flirt. Poor Jessie had to deal with everyone before Biggs and Wedge arrived later to help out. Usually Biggs had something to do before he came, and Wedge lived on the complete opposite side of the city, in sector three. Barret usually didn't come to help; he had "things" to do as well. Jessie never asked about them, since she figured they were about their mission. She would figure it out eventually. He did come, however, to see his daughter sometimes. He never stayed for long, though. And so, Jessie had a lot to do in the morning.

The first day after they found Cloud, Jessie started this routine not knowing exactly what to do. Marlene was a huge help however; anything she herself didn't know how to do, she ran to Tifa for. That way, Jessie could stay in the bar while Marlene figured everything out. The morning went by smoothly, which was relief to the young woman. Fortunately there were no rude and impatient customers like the ones packed into the bar last night. Jessie had no idea how to mix drinks, but she did know how to cook, and thus kept her groggy customers happy. Wedge arrived later when there were no customers, and set about helping his friend with the dishes left over from breakfast time Everyone had gone to work or some other place, leaving it empty and slightly dirtied. Marlene was happy to help with putting clean dishes away, and kept the two AVALANCHE members company. The rest of the day went as such, and after Biggs arrived later in the day, the actual bar opened, and set to work learning more of the drinks. Marlene had a lot of fun running back and forth between Biggs and Tifa to get directions, and helping out whenever she could. Everything ran very smoothly, with even more customers coming, hearing about the extra workers at the Seventh Heaven.

The next day, Jessie awoke and opened the bar just as before. She decided being a bartender was a very routine job, but it might be fun, what with all of the interesting people that came into places like these. She even considered asking Tifa for a job, after everything with AVALANCHE was over. Though that might take a while, considering the size of the small organization. The day droned on just as the day before had, and she was thankful when the last of the morning customers left, the little bell on the door ringing as they left. Wedge came as he had the day before, and helped out with he chores once again. This was getting a little monotonous, but they both decided it was for their friend, and therefore must be done.

When the morning work was finished, Wedge went out and said he'd be back later to help out more. Marlene ran up to her room to play, and Jessie went to check on Tifa. She noticed the young woman had been particularly quiet, and hadn't come out for breakfast, even for a little while. She stuck her head into the room, expecting to see Tifa fast asleep, her head in her arms on the little table. She must have stayed up really late, taking care of Cloud. At least that's what she thought. She did not expect to see Tifa just sitting there looking at the floor. Then again, her hair was covering her face, so Jessie couldn't tell if she was asleep or not. And if she was, Jessie planned on kicking Tifa into her own bed and watching Cloud until Tifa could stay awake on her own.

"Hey, Tifa?" She walked into the room, towards her dark-haired friend. "You didn't come out for breakfast. Surely you must be starving, right?"

There was no response. Jessie stopped right beside Tifa, and leaned over to put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, are you asleep?" She gave Tifa a little shake, but there was still no response. She let go and straightened, wondering how in the world somebody could sleep in a position like that. She decided she would let the girl sleep, and go make some food for her in case she came out soon. She turned and walked toward the door.

Then she heard a moan.

She jumped. That did _not_ sound like Tifa at all. It sounded like a very sick young man, who could possibly be the friend of Tifa. She spun around and looked at Cloud, who had moved his head to look out into the room, instead of at the ceiling. Was he awake? She definitely had to wake Tifa, no matter how tired she was. She would want to see her old friend when he woke up. She rushed over to Tifa, her heavy boots thumping loudly on the wooden floor.

So loudly that she almost didn't hear the small sob coming from her friend.

What gave it away was Tifa's action. Her shoulders jerked up and down a few times, like she was crying. Jessie slowed and took a look at her friend. Was she really crying? Didn't she notice that Cloud had woken up, finally? She took a moment to calm her friend, so she could tell her the good news. "Tifa, are you okay? Why are you crying?"

Tifa didn't say anything. She just lowered her head even more, as if to hide her face from further view. Jessie didn't know why her friend was crying, but she knew why she shouldn't be. "Tifa, look at Cloud! He's okay, he's--"

"Uhhhn..."

Jessie flinched. That didn't sound like the kind of groan somebody made when coming out of a long sleep. It sounded sickly, like whoever made it was suffering. There was a small gasp, then a whimper. Tifa lowered her head even more, as if trying to hide from the moans of her friend.

Jessie looked at Cloud, who was staring out into the room, into nothingness, it seemed. His eyes glowed even more than before; she could see them clearly in the lighted room. She didn't need the dark of night to tell if he was a SOLDIER. He looked awake, but he wasn't acting like it at all. It was like he was possessed or something. Is that what Tifa thought? Was she scared of Cloud because he was acting so strange? She tried to find some way to console her friend, and put her hand on Cloud's forehead.

"Hey, Tifa, his temperature is a low lower than before! He's getting better, it looks like--"

"He's worse," came the pained reply.

Jessie looked down at Tifa, and knelt beside her. How was Cloud any worse than before? He looked better, considering he could move around now, albeit like a possessed zombie. She asked, "Tifa, what's wrong? How is he worse?"

Tifa was silent for a little bit. "... He just stares like that, right through me. It's the same as he was before, like he's not even here. He's stuck in his own head, and won't come out. And he's in pain... he moans a lot. He moves his head sometimes, just randomly. Then I try to tell him he's okay, that everything's alright, that I'm _here_, taking care of him... He doesn't see me, or hear me. It's like he's in another dimension, where I can see him, but he can't see anything." She sobbed, tears hitting the floor in front of her. "I hate seeing him like this. I can't even begin to imagine what happened to him."

Jessie put her arm around her friend, comforting her. Tifa just went on crying, glad that she had someone to hold her. Jessie couldn't think of anything to say, except that it would all be over soon. Tifa went on, her sobs breaking her speech.

"It's been so long, and I didn't expect to see him like--" She sobbed some more. "What has the world done to him? How can it allow this to happen to _anyone_?"

Poor Jessie was at a loss. Everything Tifa said was true. The world was cruel; it didn't care about any one person. It didn't care about those who were weak or poor, or ignorant or young or old. Only the rich and powerful made it anywhere anymore, and they got there carried on the backs of people like this young man. She thought of Shinra, and if they would actually go out looking for one of their First Class SOLDIERs. She was beginning to doubt it. The very fact that such a strong young man, who had worked his way to the top by sheer force of willpower and determination, could be tossed aside when he proved useless just fueled the contempt growing inside her. It took every ounce of willpower she had to keep a calm, motherly voice as she held her friend.

"It's okay, everything will be okay. He's strong—how do you think he got to be First Class? He's a fighter; he's not gonna lie down and die." She said as Tifa sniffed, and leaned against her, exhausted. "He'll get better, don't worry. Then he'll wake up and tell us what happened. Everything's gonna be just peachy."

Tifa chuckled a little in response to the word, although it sounded a bit choked. She sat up, wiping her eyes on her arm, and Jessie pulled her arm away. "... Thanks, Jessie. You're always here when I need you..."

"Oh, shut it. That's what friends are for, right? Now, you look exhausted. How long have you been awake?"

Tifa raised her head and blinked, her eyes red and puffy. "I think since early morning. That's when he started..."

"Well, no wonder you look tired! Especially if you've been crying this long... Why didn't you come and wake me up?" When Tifa looked up at her, about to answer, she said, "No, I already know the answer. Next time—hopefully there isn't one of those—come and wake me, okay? You don't need to do this all on your own." She gave Tifa an affectionate hug with one arm, and stood up. Tifa smiled, unable to voice her gratitude.

"Now, you should come in here soon and get some breakfast. And don't worry about Cloud, he'll be fine. He may act possessed and in pain, but he can deal with it. Don't let it freak you out, okay?" She winked at her friend, and walked out.

Tifa looked at the empty doorway, grateful that she had a friend that could understand her so well. She didn't want to explain how much it frightened her to see someone, especially Cloud, like this. Cloud winced and groaned again, and she looked back at him. She clenched her fists in her lap. She would definitely help Cloud get better. He was a fighter; he had been ever since he was a child. He wouldn't give up so easily. So, like Jessie said, whatever he was going through right now, he could deal with. And in the meantime, she would do what she could to help him. Tifa sighed, and wiped the last of her tears away. Jessie would make a really great mother one day, when all of this was over and done.

---

Eventually Tifa came out for a little while, since Cloud's condition seemed under control. Granted it _was_ freaky, but it didn't seem life-threatening. There wasn't much she could do for him anymore. She wondered if he had some kind of contagious virus, and if any of her friends would get sick like this. She really didn't need that right now, so she put it out of her mind. She would deal with each big problem as they came to her, and right now she was hungry.

She saw just how well her friends were doing with the bar, too. It looked spotless, thanks to Wedge's cleaning skills. She felt so proud of her friends, and grateful that they would do this just to help her. Biggs had finally made it, and Marlene was teaching him how to make even more drinks. Jessie made Tifa some breakfast—brunch, more like, for it was almost noon at the time—after insisting that Tifa needed to rest, as Tifa silently, and thoroughly, thanked her. She watched Marlene teaching a grown man in her own cute little way, and couldn't help but laugh. It helped that Jessie was already laughing at the two—they all knew why. All poor Biggs could do was look helpless, being the butt of their jokes.

Wedge came back a couple hours later, when more customers were coming in. Biggs was already working on orders, and Jessie decided she wanted Tifa away from all the action. Thus she proceeded to prod Tifa back to the back room, where she could rest. Tifa objected, but eventually conceded when she found herself too tired to argue. Only when she was back at Cloud's side did Jessie go back to her work. Tifa was both peeved—because she had been prodded out of the room—and grateful—because she really needed a break from the hectic world outside. She knelt down next to her old neighbor and sighed. She wanted to take care of Cloud, but she was getting really tired. She figured she could stay awake for a couple more hours before falling over in a lifeless heap. She heard a groan and winced, looking up at Cloud. She really hoped he would stop doing that soon, or she really would go insane.

She heard small steps coming from the hallway, and looked over to see Marlene carrying the water bowl. "Jessie said you needed more water," said Marlene in her sweet, innocent voice.

Tifa smiled, and answered, "Yes, that would be helpful. Just put it back on the table here." She patted the tabletop as Marlene walked forward slowly. She was still trying to carry that huge bowl all by herself. Tifa decided to just let her try, and if she dropped it, she would learn her lesson and help clean up. Fortunately, Marlene succeeded once again in setting the bowl down without spilling. Tifa looked at her, smiling, as Marlene beamed back; the girl looked satisfied with such a feat being accomplished by herself.

Cloud groaned, pulling both of their attention towards him. Their smiles fell away when they saw his pained face, his vacant stare. Marlene looked genuinely worried. "Tifa, what's wrong with him? His eyes are open, but he's sleeping."

The little girl's voice just pulled at Tifa's heartstrings. She was so innocent, yet very observant. She saw that Cloud looked awake, but he wasn't really there. "I don't know," she answered, a little unsure of herself.

"Is he getting better? He doesn't look as green as he was before." Marlene felt his forehead, and frowned when he didn't do anything. "He doesn't feel really hot anymore, either."

Tifa tried to explain it as best as she could. "Well, he's still a little sick. He's still sleeping, but his eyes are open."

"And he can't wake up?" Asked the little girl.

Tifa felt helpless. "No, he can't. At least we can't wake him up. He'll have to wake up by himself."

"Is he having nightmares?"

Tifa was startled. How observant was this kid, anyway? How was she supposed to explain something like that to a little girl? "I don't really know. He could be, but it could just be that he's really sick still."

Marlene thought for a moment. She looked at Cloud as he moaned and winced, his head flopping around uselessly. She pursed her lips, then said, "If he's having nightmares, we need to comfort him. Like this." She walked around to the edge of the sofa where Cloud's head was, and started petting his head. Her small hands caressed his spikes as he moaned, turning his head toward the wall again. Tifa sat amazed as Marlene worked, and Cloud's moans became quieter. Was that really... all she had to do?

"See? He's just scared. He needs to know that he isn't alone anymore." She stopped petting him, and looked at Tifa. "You can keep doing that, and he'll be fine. I think Biggs needs my help more."

And right on cue, there was a call from the bar, "Hey, Marlene, what's a Doh Doh?"

Marlene laughed. "Told you!" She smiled and ran out of the room.

Tifa was still amazed at the girl's intuition. How had she known that would work? It looked like Cloud was more calm, but still very much in the state he was before. Still, Marlene had just made her job a _lot_ easier. Now she was grateful for Barret letting Marlene stay here so often. She was a _huge_ help, and the little girl never got tired of it. It seemed she always had a smile on her face. Either that, or just one of her sweet, genuine, innocent looks that melted the heart of anyone looking her way. Tifa was glad that there were so many good people in the world at a time like this. She reached up and ran her fingers through his soft spikes, something she'd always wanted to do, but had been too embarrassed to ask for. The poor boy probably would have fainted if she'd asked him such a thing. She imagined his already pale, childish face draining of what little color it held, then Cloud falling over like a rigid board. The thought made her laugh out loud, no matter how cruel it may have sounded. That's why she had never asked him. All the same, she had gotten what she wanted eventually. She sat running her fingers through his bright blond hair, thinking about the old days, when they were young. Thinking about how hilariously shy he was before helped her forget about how sick he was, at least for a little while.

It was late before the last stubborn stragglers finally left the bar, and the cleanup crew (which was actually all three of them of them helping Wedge) could begin their work. Wedge had begun earlier, since that was actually his job, and Jessie helped him as Biggs finished up the last of the orders. Marlene was just having a blast with so many people to boss around, since she was used to being bossed around my Tifa all the time. Soon the bar was once again spotless, and Biggs and Wedge left to catch the last train of the day. Jessie put Marlene to bed, saying she'd be right back in a little bit. She had to go check on Tifa real quick.

She walked down the hall quietly and poked her head in. The sight made her smile, then feel sorry for Tifa for her horrible sleeping position. She was still kneeling next to the sofa, with her head resting on her arm on the table, as usual. _She's really gonna screw up her neck doing that... _Jessie thought. But there wasn't anything she could do to convince the brown-haired female of that. She decided it would be fun to rub it in her face when she complained of neck pains in the morning, and slowly walked out. She wished she had a camera; she couldn't tell from her distance—and because of the lack of light—but it looked like the spiky-haired blond had finally gone to sleep. Right next to his lifelong crush. Oh, how she would regret her lack of a camera later.

---

By the time Jessie's head hit her pillow she had forgotten about the said camera she wanted so badly, and promptly dropped into a deep slumber. There had been more customers than usual that night, mostly because of the extra help that had come to run the bar. She was exhausted, and didn't wake up until late the next day.

Of course if there had been sunlight shining in through Marlene's window, she probably would've woken up before then. But because of the plate above the city blocking all the sunlight coming to the slums below, she needed an alarm clock, which apparently she hadn't set before drifting off to sleep. She opened her eyes in the dark room, and saw the light coming in from under the door. She wondered who could have risen before she did, then looked at the clock. It was almost ten in the morning. Her eyes shot open and she jumped out of bed (more like her blanket on the floor) then remembered Marlene. She turned around so see if the girl was still sleeping, and was shocked to see she was gone. She cocked her head to the right, then spun around, heading for the door.

She went down the stairs only to see customers waiting at tables, normal for that time of morning. She wondered who had opened the bar though, and why they hadn't woken her up. She got to the ground floor and attracted some stares from customers. Some had gotten used to her being up bright and early, and since there were so few people in the morning, they already knew her by name.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, glad to have you back with us! We all thought we'd have to go up there and wake you with the ultimate kiss of love!" He made smoothing noises with his mouth, earning laughter from his two friends.

She glanced at the young man at the table in the middle, sitting with two of his friends. He'd become very casual with her in the last two days. He was a nice guy, but his near constant derogatory remarks never got him anywhere.

"Oh, my noble prince, whatever would I do without you?" She said dramatically as she clasped her hands in front of her, as if pleading. Then she let them fall and shook her head, heading to the bar. "Marlene! Are you down here?"

Marlene came out of the hallway skipping happily. "I just woke up Tifa! She looked really tired."

Jessie answered, "Well, she's gonna be starving if she doesn't come eat soon. Did you open up the bar?"

Marlene smiled. "Biggs got here extra early, and he helped me set everything up. He's in the bathroom now. Hurry, there are people waiting! Some people left because Biggs can't cook." She giggled, then started walking around with a little notepad, taking people's orders. Not that anyone else could read what she wrote... her little symbols reminded her of what each customer had ordered.

Jessie sighed and shook her head. She was grateful for the help; she was still exhausted from the night before. She walked down the hall to the back room, and once again poked her head in. Tifa was wiping the sleep from her eyes. Jessie looked at Cloud, and smiled. He was facing the middle of the room, so she could clearly see his face. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was open slightly, his chest rising and falling slowly. He looked peaceful, a wonderful sight after all he'd been through.

Jessie walked into the room, towards her friend. "Hey, you finally awake? Look who's sleeping, he looks pretty cute."

Tifa opened her eyes and blinked a few times, then looked over at her old neighbor. She gasped at the sight, one she hadn't expected at all. She didn't see any eerily glowing eyes or blank stares, and didn't hear any moans. She felt his forehead, and relief flooded through her. His temperature was almost normal, just a couple degrees too high. She saw his chest rise and fall smoothly—he was breathing normally, without any gasps or hyperventilation. It looked like his nightmare was over, and he could finally rest. She sighed with relief, and looked up at her friend.

Jessie laughed. "Well, you sure look happy. Come on out, we have lots of customers! I may need your help. Besides, you're gonna end up worse than _he_ is if you don't eat something." She jabbed a finger at the sleeping blond, and started walking towards the doorway. Marlene suddenly stuck her head in, startling both women.

"Tifa, there are a LOT of customers! Lots of people like Jessie's cooking, but she can't cook that fast! We need more people!" She ran back out to help Biggs.

Jessie laughed some more. "Hah, I didn't know I was _that_ good... Come on, I'll need help!" She jerked her head towards the hall and walked out.

Tifa smiled thankfully. Lately that's all she'd been feeling—thankful. Thankful that she had lived after what Sephiroth did to her home, thankful that she had found friends that would do anything for her, and thankful that she was able to help someone in return, and maybe save part of her past that she thought had been lost long ago. She yawned, then stood up. He legs were stiff from kneeling for so long, and she stretched. She looked back at the sleeping blond more thankful than ever. He was going to live, and he was okay. He looked the same as she remembered him, albeit a little older and asleep. She'd never seen him asleep before. The peacefulness shown on his face was a relief after the horrible state she'd see him in for the last couple days. She wondered what he was thinking about, or dreaming about. She smiled, glad that he wasn't moving or making strange noises anymore. He was fine now.

"See? Everything's okay now. You're not alone anymore." She said, before turning and exiting. She'd come back later to check on him, probably after the morning rush of people left. Boy, was she happy. She actually skipped out into the bar, ready for whatever she was hit with. This, of course, earned her a few stares from her comrades.

"What?" She asked. Was it illegal for grown women to act like four-year-olds once in a while?

---

Why did it take so long to update? You see, I went to Music Camp at the local college for a week, where I learned the ways of college music =D It was all day for the whole week, so I didn't have much time to work on writing. And I'm supposed to be practicing for auditions right now... I haven't played my sax in three weeks... Very sorry, explanation in full in the next chapter.


	4. Awaken

I left the introduction to the last chapter because, well, I was lazy. And so, here's the explanation. It's not done! There are still three chapters left =D Why did it take me so long to update??? Well, I kind of wrote them all at once, all in one big, 37-page chapter. Then I had music camp, which took everything out of me. Then I took a break for a week to play Ace Attorney. Awesome game, it is. Then I had to figure out how to split up the great big chapter... I don't think I did well with that T_T Anyways, since you waited for so long, I give you the rest of the story. Have fun reading, aye? Oh yeah... by the title, I bet you can figure out what happens in this chapter =P

Awaken

Things went smoothly for the next few days, except for a random bar fight that broke out the next day. Tifa took care of that easily, since Cloud was evidently doing quite well. He just slept all day while everyone else ran the bar and, of course, threw bar fights outside. Luckily, no furniture was broken during the fight, another thing Tifa was thankful for. She was still paying off her bar space, and didn't have the money to go buy new furniture every time someone got a little too tipsy.

Other than that, everything did indeed go smoothly. The group was gradually saving up a group fund that could be used for their missions that, inevitably, would need money. In the meantime, it seemed Barret was always busy. The few times he visited to see Marlene, he said he "had to be somewhere" and nothing else. Marlene was just happy to see her father once in a while, but everyone else was a little worried. What exactly was he doing without them? Did he not trust them with such knowledge just yet? After a while they all figured they would find out eventually, and if they didn't, then they would carry out the missions until they reached their ultimate goal. If they did that, it wouldn't matter what Barret had been up to. All of them were curious though, since he hadn't said anything about the "mission" they were to go on soon. He'd only mentioned their ultimate goal, and that was enough to ensnare all of them. They'd just have to wait until the next meeting then, after Cloud woke up.

And poor Tifa was doing her best with that little problem. There really wasn't anything else she could do but let him fight on his own, and it was maddening. She felt so useless just sitting next to him, and eventually took up part of her duty as a bartender to get her mind off of him. She'd check on him constantly though, in case he finally awoke. In the meantime, she helped Biggs with making drinks and food for the growing crowd of customers., all the while dealing with her insane emotions.

Barret didn't make it any easier, either. It seemed every time he came over—remember not for very long, for he was "busy"—he asked if Cloud was awake, and if they could have the meeting. And when Tifa said no, he usually had a loud and profane fit, much to Tifa's, and the customers', dismay. She really wished he wouldn't say such things in front of his daughter, who was just learning how to speak fluently. Not only that, but him yelling about Cloud being "Shinra scum" was quite rude, and could possibly put their mission in jeopardy. And yet any time someone talked about the "mission" with other people around, he got angry and told them to shut up, that someone might hear. He really was quite the hypocrite.

And so poor Tifa tried to keep herself sane while trying to please both the customers, and the ever impatient Barret. She didn't understand—_he_ was the one who said they couldn't have the meeting until Cloud was well in the first place! It's like he purposefully put her in an impossible situation. And so events went on like that for the next couple days, until it was finally over on the fifth day after they found Cloud..

Tifa had gotten tired of Barret's ranting, and didn't want to be the one to tell him to _shut up_, so she retreated to the back room to check on Cloud, His peaceful form reassured her, and she sat down to watch him again. She knew he was okay, but she just couldn't face the outside world right then. And so, he would help her through this insanity just by being there.

_I guess you kept your promise, after all._ She thought to herself. _You're here for me when I'm in a pinch, aren't you? So you kept your promise, even if you don't remember it right now._ She smiled. Now she really wanted him to wake up. She wanted to know if he was okay, if he remembered. She wanted to know what he had been through, who or what had put him in his horrible state. She wanted to know if he had actually seen her as she cared for him, and wasn't just sick and in a coma. She wanted him to know that she was there for him, and she was glad he was okay. She wanted him to know that she still remembered him, and that she now considered him a "friend." But for all that, he would have to wake up, and she'd have to wait for that. She sighed, and put her head down on the table, watching him. After a while, she drifted off to sleep. It was late anyway, and the others would understand, right? She just hoped Barret wasn't the one waking her next time.

---

She awoke the next day to the light being switched on and off vigorously. She blinked a few times, then realized what exactly was going on.

"Jessie! What are you doing?" She cried, shielding her eyes.

Jessie laughed and left the switch in the "on" position. "I've always wanted to do that, just to see what happened."

Tifa was a little peeved. "You already _knew_ what would happen! You're not stupid, I know you!" She stood up, stretching. She let out a grunt as she stretched her arms above her head.

Jessie laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry. I guess I just wanted to be obnoxious for once." She jerked her head towards the hall. "Customers are coming in, and I need your help! Let's go, slowpoke!" She said happily, and left the room.

Tifa grumbled; even she was grumpy in the morning sometimes. She took a look at Cloud. He still looked peaceful, the way he had been for the last two days. She smiled, and her annoyance melted away at the sight. She was about to turn and leave when he gasped, wincing. Was he having nightmares again ? Was he in pain? She had no idea. She felt helpless once again, and tried to comfort him. She knelt down by his head and ran her fingers through his spikes, petting his his head. "Everything's okay now, you're not alone," she whispered. "We're all here for you, we won't let anything happen to you." His features softened, and he looked a little less tormented. He looked much better than before; his pale complexion had lost its green hue, and his temperature was maybe a degree higher than normal. She had very high hopes for him. Maybe he would be all better by the next day. She smiled again. She'd like that. When he looked like he was sleeping with no trouble, she left to go help her friends.

---

It was a while before she had time to check on Cloud. There were even more customers, one being an employee from another restaurant who, because of the lack of customers, had time for a break. The man told of the competition her bar was putting up, and how few people even came in the morning anymore. They all came to Tifa's bar. That made her happy, and at the same time sad for the owner of the other restaurant. That was their livelihood, and she was stealing it away from them. She justified it by thinking she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't tell people where to eat; it was their choice. She just hoped she wasn't really hurting the other business.

At around noon all of the morning people had left, and the bar was all clean and ready for the later rush of customers. Biggs and Wedge had places to be at that time, but they said they'd be back later. Jessie had to go pick up a few items from the supplier down the street, and Marlene was up in her room. Barret hadn't come over all day, to Tifa's relief. She was all alone, except for Cloud, of course. She finished drying a glass and put it away, then walked down the wall to the back room. She entered, her boots thumping loudly on the wooden floor. She slowed her steps, in hopes that she wouldn't wake Cloud. Then again, she really wanted him to wake up. She sighed; she wanted him to rest and get better more than anything else. So she tried not to wake him.

She knelt back down next to him like she had for so long during the last five days, and watched him. He really looked okay this time, like he had just laid down to take a nap, and would be up any moment. She liked that. Maybe he really _would_ be better tomorrow. Then maybe Barret would stop hounding her. She clenched her fists in irritation. All she was trying to do was help her friend. Couldn't he understand that? A person's health was more important than some dumb mission. She was getting a little fed up with that man, for both his fits and the fact that he wasn't telling them anything. She thought he was paranoid. Why would anyone be suspicious of a few people having a meeting in their own bar? It's not like anyone from Shinra cared about the slums anyway, so there definitely wouldn't be spies. Tifa huffed; she was angry. She didn't want to be angry, but that man just wasn't the greatest leader.

She heard a groan, and jumped. No, Cloud couldn't be that sick again. She had to focus, and make sure he got well. Yes, he was the most important right now, and she needed to focus. She looked over at her old neighbor, and her heart skipped a beat as her eyes grew wide.

Cloud was moaning of course, and his eyes were closed tightly. No, one of them was. The other one he was trying to focus, so he could see. He blinked, and both of his eyes opened slightly, revealing a small sliver of his piercing blue-green eyes. He was breathing normally, and struggling to get used to the light invading his eyes for the first time in a long while. He looked around him, and his eyes fell on Tifa's surprised faced. He squinted, then opened his eyes halfway.

"... Tifa?"

Tifa had thought about what she would say to him when he awoke. She imagined how she would gradually wake him with her soothing voice, then tell him everything was okay, that he was safe. She would tell him how glad she was that he was well again, and how worried she was. Then she would say everything was okay, and he didn't need to be frightened. Her mind went completely blank when she noticed that he was actually looking at her, and he recognized her. She was startled, then relieved, then stunned. He was actually talking to her, and he knew her name. He wasn't staring right through her, and he wasn't moaning in that unnerving way he had been. He was alive and sane, and he remembered who she was. She was so stunned, the only word that escaped from her lips was, "Cloud?"

Cloud opened his eyes wider to see her better, and turned his head slightly. "What... what are you doing here?" He asked.

Tifa forced herself to speak intelligently as tears invaded her eyes. She was so glad, she wanted to cry. But at the same time she knew Cloud was confused, and he needed an explanation. She couldn't cry at a time like this. "You're in Midgar, in the Seventh Heaven. It's my bar, and I live here." She mentally smacked herself for sounding so weak. Cloud was the one who needed help, not her! And she was acting like she didn't know anything, and now that Cloud was awake, he could take over.

Cloud didn't react to her tone though. He looked around and squinted against the light. "Mid...gar?" He paused, then went on. "That's right... I remember the train station. Someone was yelling... at me..."

Tifa was fighting with all her strength not to cry. She was overjoyed that he could remember something. "Yes, we found you there. Well, the train conductor did, and he called for help. Nobody was going, so I did." She fought back a sob. "When I saw it was you I--" she stopped. If she kept talking, she would start crying. She had to stay strong right now.

Cloud looked down, away from her face. "Yeah... there was a lot of yelling. It was loud..." he said.

He still looked really tired. Tifa didn't want to exhaust him again, and make him sick. "How are you feeling? You were really sick. You didn't wake up for a long time."

Cloud kept staring into space. He answered, "I'm... tired. How—how long has it been?"

"Five days."

Cloud's eyes widened a little; apparently he wasn't expecting that. He was silent for a bit, leaving Tifa clueless as to what to say next.

"What happened?"

Now she did _not_ know how to answer that. "I don't know... we just found you there at the train station, and brought you here. You were really sick. Do you remember anything?"

Cloud was silent. He looked as if he were struggling to remember something. "'We'?"

It took Tifa a little bit to understand what he was asking. "Oh, two of my friends. Jessie and Biggs. They helped me carry you here."

Cloud was still struggling. "Why—why are you in Midgar?"

Tifa frowned. She didn't know what to say. Should she tell him that his hometown had been destroyed by his idol? That she had been seriously wounded by that same idol, and had to flee in order to survive? She decided he didn't need to know right away. "Well, after what happened five years ago, I left Nibelheim and came here. I thought I could start a new life here, and I did." She looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. She really didn't like thinking about that.

Cloud thought harder. "Five... years..." He squinted.

"I'll tell you about it later, when you're all better, okay?" Said Tifa, a little too quickly.

"How... old are you?" Cloud was looking at her now. He really was thinking hard. He was trying to remember something... It was right there, he knew. He just couldn't grasp it yet.

Tifa was a little startled. She hadn't expected a personal question at all. "I-I'm twenty..." She was speechless. Where had that come from?

Cloud processed the information, barely moving. "Then, that means I'm... twenty-one..." Tifa frowned. Where was this going? Cloud kept talking. "Twenty-one... five years ago... I was sixteen..." He frowned as he thought harder. There was something about five years ago that he was trying to remember. "Sixteen... Nibelheim..."

Then, all of a sudden, his eyes shot open. Tifa jumped as he sat up suddenly, and yelled, "Sephiroth!" He sat there with his eyes wide open, breathing heavily. He was shaking; it looked as if pure adrenaline was the only thing keeping him upright. He jerked his head to look at Tifa "Tifa, are you okay? What—what happened?"

Tifa just stared at him. He looked terrified. What did he remember about Sephiroth? She opened her mouth as if to answer, but Cloud interrupted her.

"What happened, after Sephiroth hurt you?"

Tifa was horribly confused. How did he know about that? He couldn't have known; he wasn't there five years ago. He had left for Midgar two years before that. And he wasn't there during the mission, either. There were two First Class SOLDIERs, and two infantrymen who were natives to Nibelheim. Not one of those people were Cloud. So then, how did he know? Did one of the SOLDIERs survive to tell about what happened? She figured as much.

"Well, I remember Zangan found me, and took me away. There was a battle going on in the reactor, and the village wasn't safe anymore, so we fled. He took me to Midgar, and left. I haven't seen him since. But somehow I got back on my feet and started my life again." She smiled a little. She had been quite proud of herself for finding a job and a place to live at fifteen years old, and in a crowded and filthy city.

Cloud relaxed a little. He still looked tired, but he wasn't laying back down. "That's right. I remember. You were lying outside the reactor, and Sephiroth was inside. Sephiroth..." He cringed when he said the name. "That bastard..."

Tifa was once again confused. How did he know this? How could he remember something he wasn't a part of? Was he just making it all up, or did his sickness make it real to him?

Was he crazy, after all?

Tifa wanted to cry again, but she willed herself not to. Cloud was okay, right? He was moving, and talking, and remembering things just fine. Except for what happened five years ago, everything was okay. Maybe he was a little confused, and his memory would right itself in time. He just needed to rest. He probably didn't even need her anymore.

"Are you okay, Tifa?"

She looked up at he old neighbor and smiled. His innocent, concerned expression was the same one she used to see when he was young. He hadn't changed at all.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I've been okay." She said, her voice quivering slightly. She hoped he hadn't noticed. "You should rest some more. You've been through a lot. We'll talk later, okay?"

Cloud looked at her, and his frown softened. "Okay," he said quietly.

"You need to get better so we can talk later, and catch up, okay?" She smiled, and stood. "Get some rest. I'll come back to check on you." She turned and walked out as casually as she could, a confused Cloud in her wake.

She really didn't want to deal with him right then. Everything was so screwed up... How the heck did he remember that?! He wasn't there, she knew it. She would have known f he were there, wouldn't she? She didn't know anymore. What she wanted to do was wait for someone to return, so she would have something else to think about. Barret would definitely be happy—for once Tifa couldn't wait for the man to return. She walked into the bar, sat down on a stool, and put her head on the counter. She was tired. Everything was crazy, and she just wanted to stop thinking. She let sleep take her.

---

She awoke to someone shaking her gently. Someone was speaking to her.

"... you a awake?" She heard. It sounded like Jessie. Tifa wanted to jump up and down with happiness, but she was too tired. She raised her head to look at her friend.

"We had to break in because you didn't unlock the doors, like you said you would," said Jessie. She smirked, and raised an eyebrow.

Tifa gasped and sat up abruptly, straining her back muscles. She winced, then stood. She turned around to see the others coming in, sans Barret. He was probably still "busy." Bigs and Wedge looked at her with similar expressions, causing her to blush. "I'm sorry guys, I must have fallen asleep waiting for you..." She lowered her head in apology.

"Hey, we're the ones who broke in. That's not exactly legal, you know." Biggs laughed.

Jessie laughed even harder. "Since when has that mattered to you, mister I'll-Do-Anything-For-Money!"

Biggs blushed. "Well, not _everything_..." he defended. "I'll do anything that helps me reach my goal, for everyone to be equal. If that means taking down the current government, then I'll do it."

Jessie gasped. "Hey fool, people might hear you! Don't talk 'bout the "mission" so openly like that!" She mimicked Barret as best as she could, earning laughs from her friends.

"Hey, that was pretty good," said Wedge. "Maybe you should take over for Barret when he's not around?"

Jessie just laughed. "No, we all get enough of that guy when he's in the same sector. We don't need a double, acting in his place."

Biggs shook his head. "No kidding. Anyway, Tifa, you said you were waiting for us?"

Tifa flinched at being the spotlight once again. She nodded. "Yes... I don't think Cloud needs my help anymore."

Jessie's eyes grew wide, and her eyebrows shot up. "Is he awake?! Is he okay? Tell us, we're dying to know!"

Tifa shook her head. "No, he's not awake. But he was. And he's okay." She smiled, looking down at the floor. She didn't mention how much she was questioning that last statement."

Biggs and Jessie looked at each other. Jessie spoke first. "That's great! That means he'll be well soon, and we can get this mission over with!"

Biggs sounded relieved. "Yeah... I don't think I could live through another one of Barret's little tantrums... He'll be pleased. At least he _better_ be, considering how much he's been hounding you."

Tifa tried hard to keep her smile intact. "Yeah," she said quietly, struggling to keep her voice from quivering. She didn't know how to explain the inconsistencies in Cloud's memory without telling them about her past. She decided to take care of everything later; heck, maybe Cloud's memory would right itself, and she wouldn't even have to tell anyone about the incident from five years ago. That's what she wanted, to forget that part of her life.

Wedge looked over at her with a skeptical look. "Hey, Tifa, did you figure out what happened to him?" Jessie and Biggs stopped their miniature celebration to listen to Tifa's reply.

Tifa paused. She decided to tell them part of it. "Well, he remembered my name, and who he was. He also knew that he was one year older than I, so now he knows his own age. We didn't talk much before he fell asleep again. He was still really tired." She looked down at the floor, her hands clasped in front of her.

Jessie smiled. "Well, that's good, right? We'll just have to wait until he's strong again. That shouldn't be long, and I'm sure Barret can wait a little longer."

Wedge nodded. "And in the meantime, we still have to get ready for the next wave of customers!" He jumped up. "Shall we get to work?"

Jessie laughed. "Wedge, that's the first time I've seen you take charge of anything. I'm proud of you." She turned to look out into the bar. "Okay people, let's get to work!"

Wedge was left blushing, but he went to go set up his supplies. Biggs chuckled, and followed Jessie behind the counter to set up the ingredients they would need for the night. Tifa sighed, and turned towards the staircase. "I'm gonna go check on Marlene. She's been awfully quiet for a while." She started up the staircase.

"Alright, but don't take forever, okay? Look, here come a couple guys right now!" She indicated the two young men coming through the doors to sit down..

Tifa nodded in response. "Don't worry, I'll help. Marlene will want to also." She ascended the stairs and sighed. It was going to be a busy night, full of crazy customers and worrying thoughts.

The wave of customers was bigger than ever, and lasted from early afternoon to well into the night. Tifa was kept busy almost constantly, and only had time to check on Cloud a few times. He was sleeping peacefully all three times though, which reassured her. She truly thought he'd be okay; he just needed more time. Then, when he was all better, they could figure out what to do with him.

The last time she checked on him was after Biggs and Wedge had gone home, and Jessie had gone up to Marlene's room. She planned on going back home the next day, since Cloud looked fine, at least according to Tifa. Tifa walked down the hall to the back, and poked her head in. Cloud was still sleeping. She smiled. He must have been tired. She decided he was fine, but that she would stay in the same room for one more night, in case he needed her. She went and got a few blankets and a pillow from the closet in her room, and laid them out next to the wall opposite Cloud. If he woke up and needed help, he could easily see her there. Only after laying down did she notice her extreme fatigue, and fell asleep right as her head hit the pillow.

---

The next day was pretty much the same, except for the fact that Cloud didn't wake up once. Tifa started to think he was back in a coma, but he did stir a few times when she went in to check on him. He was just tired. That didn't stop her from worrying about him though, naturally.

She loved Fridays. She got to close up early on those days, and she was planning a dinner for all of AVALANCHE at the bar. Maybe Cloud would be well enough by that time to join them. She hoped so. Maybe they could have a meeting to find out exactly what to do with him. Truthfully, she really didn't want him to go back to his life before. That had been what put him into his horrible state. And so, she decided she wouldn't leave him alone until he had his life straightened out. Or at least until she knew his life was secure. Then again, what if he was still loyal to SOLDIER? Would he go back to them?

She stopped drying the glass she was holding, and set it down. That seemed like the worst possible outcome to this ordeal. What would she do if they ended up fighting him?

"Tifa?" Biggs said, concerned. He'd noticed her frown, and wondered what she was thinking.

Tifa looked up, and smoothed her expression. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about Cloud, and what happened to him..." she said. She put on a fake smile quickly, and dried the glass the rest of the way.

Biggs tried to comfort her. "Hey, don't worry about it. He woke up, right? He'll probably be well today. He's just tired. Then he can tell us what happened, and get his life back in order, okay?" He patted her shoulder, then turned back to making his drink.

Tifa smiled, this time genuinely. He could tell her not to worry all he liked, but it wouldn't change anything. It was only a natural maternal instinct, right? She survived though, until around 5:00 when the bar closed. Biggs and Wedge helped clean up while Jessie went out shopping. Tifa wanted some clothes for Cloud, since all he had was his filthy uniform. The would have asked Biggs, but his clothes were just a little too big. And so, when the bar was all clean, Biggs and Wedge went out to take care of a few things before the dinner. Tifa finished up the dishes, then went to check on Cloud.

He was awake, to an extent. He looked dazed. He was sitting up, rubbing his eyes with one hand, holding himself up with the other. Tifa walked up to him as conspicuously as possible, so as not to startle him. "Cloud, are you feeling okay?" She asked, leaning over so see his face.

He looked up at her, surprised. He ran his hand through his hair, and looked away. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Tifa smiled. "You think you can stand? We're all having dinner together today."

Cloud thought for a moment. "I guess so..."

Tifa laughed. "Well, you _look _well enough. Don't you know for sure?"

Cloud turned his head towards her, but kept his gaze glued to the floor. He frowned, then turned his head back away from her. "Yeah, I can walk."

Tifa brightened. "Great! Then you'll join us?"

She could see that he really didn't want to, but she knew she could get him to. He grimaced, then sighed. "Sure," he said quietly.

"That's wonderful!" Tifa straightened. "Do you want a shower before? That would be a good idea..." she said, a little embarrassed.

Cloud flinched, undoubtedly turning bright red from behind his spikes. "Y-yeah..."

Tifa blushed, then said, "Jessie is out getting some other clothes for you... I didn't think you'd want to walk around in that grimy uniform all the time..."

Cloud scratched his head. "No, I guess not."

Tifa smiled. "Well, I can get that thing washed overnight, if you like."

"Yeah, thanks." Cloud was still blushing.

Tifa wasn't doing any better; her face was as red as his. "Well then... there are extra towels in the cupboard in the bathroom. Just go out the door and down the hall, and you'll see some stairs. Go up and turn left, and there's the bathroom. Just leave your uniform outside, and I'll send it to the cleaners." She stared at the floor, and spun around to leave. She rushed to the door and stopped, turning. "Cloud? I'm glad you're okay. Really." She walked out to get all the ingredients for dinner ready.

Cloud just sat there on the sofa, staring at where his old neighbor had just been standing. Why was she acting so strange? And why did she care so much about him? He was fine, just tired. He swung his legs over the edge of the sofa, his boots thumping on the hard wood. He put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes. What the hell had made him so tired? Whatever it was, it wasn't going to keep him down any longer. He was an ex-SOLDIER for Gaia's sake! He shouldn't have let anything like that happen to him. He stood, struggling to keep his balance. His legs were still very weak. He didn't like that at all. He would have to train for days to get his strength back. He stretched his arms above his head, groaning. Everything ached. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He'd wasted six days of his life being weak, huh? He'd have to make up for that later. He walked toward the door, nearly falling over once. Luckily he grabbed the door frame and pushed himself back up. Boy, would that be humiliating, falling flat on his face. He walked out into the hall and kept walking. He saw the stairs on the left, just as Tifa had described. He looked out into the bar and saw Tifa, setting out cooking ingredients. He walked quietly; he felt a little awkward. He quickly climbed the stairs and turned left, into the bathroom.

It was unnaturally clean for a bar. Then again it was the private bathroom; the public one was down on the right side of the hallway. He looked to the right, where there was a cupboard. He opened it, revealing a few clean, white towels. Now that he knew where everything was, he reached up to unstrap his pauldrons, then drop them to the floor outside. Was she planning to send them to the cleaners, too? That seemed silly, but he didn't really care. He'd just do what she told him to, no matter if it sounded silly. He pulled off his heavy boots, then shut the door. There was a lot of stuff he didn't care about at the moment.


	5. Intervention

Intervention

About thirty minutes later, Jessie got back with a couple new outfits. Tifa was still working on setting out the ingredients; she had no idea what to make for everyone. She didn't know what they liked. She decided to ask Jessie first.

"Hey, you're back! What do you want for dinner?"

Jessie looked at her and answered, "Hmm... I've been craving stir fry for weeks! Mmmm..." Her eyes grew wide and she licked her lips. "Hey, where do I put these?" She held up a couple of bags she got from Wall Market.

Tifa thought for a moment. "Oh, I'll take those." She set the bags on the counter. "I guess stir fry's good... what about the others? Do you know what they like?"

Jessie furrowed her brow as she thought. "Well, I don't think Wedge is picky. Maybe not Barret, either. Heck, I don't think Bigs is either. Just make stir fry, and I'll be happy!" She smiled, and winked.

Tifa sighed. "Well, I'm blaming you if they don't like it."

Jessie laughed. "Who doesn't like it? If you're that worried, I'll help you." She helped set out more ingredients, and put away some unnecessary ones.

Tifa grabbed the bags again. "I'm gonna give these to Cloud. I'll be right back." She turned and started up the staircase. She reaches the top, then turned left. Cloud's uniform was in a pile outside the door, just as she told him to leave it. She pushed it out of the way of the door with her foot, uncovering a certain article of Cloud's underclothes. Her eyes grew wide, and she blushed. She didn't know why; she saw her own every day. Maybe it was because he was like a total stranger, and a male... wait, a stranger? Surely she knew him better than a stranger would? She decided he was a friend, and it was ridiculous to be embarrassed by his underwear.

She shook her head, getting those thoughts out of her mind, and knocked on the door. "Cloud? Are you in the shower?"

There was no answer. She didn't know what to think of that. She waited for a bit, then opened the door a crack. "Cloud?" She heard the water running, but she didn't know if he was actually in the shower. It would be embarrassing to see him like—she shook her head again. What was with her today? She opened the door farther, and looked at the floor. If she saw his feet, she'd just duck behind the door.

She didn't. Cloud just wasn't answering her, it seemed. Or her couldn't hear her. Either way, she could just drop the clothes in there with no trouble. "Cloud?" She dropped the bags in front of the sink. "There are two sets of clothes. They're two sizes, in case one of them doesn't fit. Okay?"

Still there was no answer. She frowned. Was he mad? He didn't have any reason to be, right? No, she figured he was just really uncomfortable. She decided to get the heck out of there. "I'm taking your uniform now! Dinner won't be ready for a while, so don't rush. Take your time, okay?"

Still no answer. "I'm leaving now, bye." She shut the door, feeling rather uncomfortable. She looked down at his uniform. It was completely filthy. How did he get it that dirty, anyway? It looked as though he hadn't washed it for a year, at least. Then walked across the entire desert in it. She shook her head, sighing. She picked up the grimy sleeveless turtleneck and the baggy pants trademark of a SOLDIER uniform. She couldn't even tell what color they were. Then again, that wouldn't have helped, either. She had no idea which rank wore which color uniform. She figured she'd take those and his underclothes to be washed, and leave his armor. She didn't know how to clean those, or where to take them to be cleaned. And so, she left his shoulder-pad things (What were they called? She didn't know.) and all their leathery goods, and his boots. She hauled everything else downstairs and dropped them in a bag.

Jessie stared at the bag for a moment. "That there looked like a dead body."

Tifa frowned. "I know... I have no idea how it got that way, I guess he'll tell us later." She picked up the bag and walked towards the door. "I'm going to Sal's for a bit to drop these off. Make sure Biggs and Wedge behave if they get back before I do!" She pulled open on e of the doors.

Jessie laughed as she cut an onion, a tear invading the corner of her eye. "Don't worry, I'll keep 'em in line! Cursed onions... I hate cutting them, but they're so _good..._"

Tifa smiled, and the door closed behind her.

---

Bigs and Wedge _did_ return before Tifa did, and therefore they tried helping with dinner. Jessie kept them far away though; she really wanted her stir fry perfect. And if it wasn't perfect, there would be hell to pay. The young men learned a valuable lesson that day—never get between a woman and her food. Tifa returned from sector 8 about twenty minuted later, in time to help out with dinner. Meanwhile, Marlene was ecstatic that she could finally play with her new playmates. Thus the two young men were dragged around, then a part of whatever little fantasy Marlene had fabricated.

Soon, the sweet smells wafted all through the house, making everyone's mouths water, including Tifa's. She wanted to hurry up and finish, but it took a while to make good dishes. She was beginning to wonder if dinner would be ready when everyone else was. For a while, because of the stress from planning dinner, she forgot about Cloud.

Cloud however, did not forget about Cloud. Duh, how does that even make sense? At least he didn't _think_ he was forgetting himself. His head hurt, really bad. The steam from the shower cleared it up a bit, though. He got out and dried off, his spikes sagging slightly under the weight of the water. He looked down and saw the two bags of clothes, vaguely remembering Tifa saying something about them. He wasn't really listening, to be honest. He was too busy trying to remember things, and get his head to stop hurting. He picked up the bags and opened them, and started putting them on.

There was a huge gap in his memory, he knew that. Five years... has it really been that long? It felt like yesterday that he fought with Sephiroth—he did fight with him, right? He knew the whole Nibelheim incident happened, Tifa was proof of that. However, all he remembered was running up the stairs to the center of the reactor, and confronting Sephiroth. He remembered holding his sword, ready to strike, and the insane rage he was feeling at the time. His home, his mother, Tifa, everything was lost. He had nothing else to fight for but revenge. He remembered Sephiroth's cold and demonic stare. The man thought Cloud was a pest, and had to be exterminated, along with the rest of the Planet. He had been Cloud's idol, his reason for joining SOLDIER, his "war buddy"... And yet the man dared turn around and destroy everything important to him. It was unforgivable. Cloud's fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. What happened after the confrontation?

He suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing he was standing around, wasting time. That stuff was done and gone, five years gone. He couldn't dwell on it any longer. Everything may have been taken from him, but he had a new life now. He was a mercenary. He had to get stronger so he could fulfill his dream.

Five years...

That was a long time. He donned the soft, blue tank-shirt from one of the bags, and pulled out a pair of blue jeans. He looked in the other bag, deciding that whatever was in there was too big. He put those on and dried his hair more. He glanced at the mirror, and wiped a spot of the steam away. He gasped, looking surprised.

He looked older. A lot older. He barely recognized himself, except for his trademark spiky hair. It was... a bit unnerving. Five years... did that part of his life just slip his mind? Or had he just not seen himself in five years? He started to believe the latter; he was a SOLDIER, after all. It didn't matter how he looked, just how well he did his job. He frowned—had he been so intent on pleasing Shinra that he didn't even care about himself anymore? He looked back at his reflection, this time at his eyes. He didn't remember having those eyes before. He remembered his deep blue ones, not these bright and glowing blue-green ones. He frowned even more. He couldn't escape it, even if he quit. He could call himself an ex-SOLDIER, but once he joined, there was no going back. His eyes were proof of that.

He shook his head, rubbing his temples. He really needed to get out of the past. There was nothing he could do about it. He picked up the pair of socks that had fallen out of the first bag, and put those on. He opened the door and found his armor still there, along with his boots. He guess he'd clean those himself, later. He grabbed his boots and pulled those on, almost falling over again. That's what he got for trying to do it while standing. He straightened, and grabbed the two bags as well as his armor. He'd take his armor back to the room, and figure out what to do with the extra set of clothes. He shut the bathroom door behind him, and started towards the stairs.

Five years... had his life just flown by him, and he didn't even notice?

---

Marlene burst out of her room when she smelled food. She didn't know what it was, but the did know that smelled good, and that Tifa would need help serving it. She threw open the door and ran forward, aiming towards the stairs.

Then she stopped in her tracks. The smile was gone from her face as she stared at the stranger in front of her. He was awake? Tifa hadn't told her... It took the young man a few second to realize there was someone else there, and he stopped too. He looked up, startled. Marlene blushed shyly, then ran past him down the stairs. Why hadn't Tifa told her that her friend was okay? She could have helped him, somehow.

Cloud stood at the top of the stairs for a little bit as he heard Marlene asking that very same question. He blushed. Why was everyone worried about him? He could take care of himself, right? He shook his head, then descended.

Tifa heard steps coming down the stairs, and turned. "Cloud! You're just in time!" She smiled as she set a plates onto the table. There was a bigger one in the middle in case more people than usual came together, or just wanted to sit at a big table. Marlene had grabbed the silverware and was helping to set the table. Cloud scratched his head nervously. Did she have to announce to everyone that he had appeared? It was embarrassing...

Jessie came from the store room in the back with some cloth napkins. She started setting those next to each plate. "Hey, the big guy's awake! We were worried about you for a while."

There it was again. Why did it seem he was always the spotlight of everyone's interest? He didn't like it.

Tifa finished setting the plates and went to stir the stir fry. "Where's Barret? He did say he'd be here, right?"

Jessie nodded. "He told me himself. He said he was looking for something, though. He said he needed it for the meeting. I wonder what..."

Tifa sighed. "If he doesn't get here soon, his food's gonna be cold. What about Biggs and Wedge?"

Jessie answered, "They said they had family things to deal with. Biggs had to tell someone that he wouldn't be home for dinner today. And Wedge didn't say... That guy's kinda secretive, have you noticed?"

Tifa thought about that. "I always thought he was open and never kept anything from us. But then again, he just joined, so he might not be totally comfortable telling us everything. Particularly about his family."

Jessie nodded. "Yeah, it's the same with Biggs. Ever since we joined AVALANCHE, he won't tell me anything. I think he has a sister that he takes care of at home, but other than that, I don't know much about him."

Tifa noticed Cloud was just standing there, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Cloud, don't just stand there! Come and sit down. Don't worry, Jessie's really nice. So are Biggs and Wedge." Then she noticed he was holding the two bags she gave him, and his armor. "Oh, I'll take those, if you don't want them."

Cloud couldn't keep his eyes on her. It was too much. He didn't like her looking at him, at least the way she was. He didn't even know why. It brought back too many memories... He held out the bags and she took them, walking towards the store room in the back. Cloud scratched his head again. He felt useless, and he didn't like it. But what could he do? He sighed, then walked down the hall and into the back room where he had first awoken. He set his armor down next to his sword. He was glad nobody had messed around with it. It was still in great shape, though it was caked with dirt in some places. He decided he'd clean it later that day, then go out training in the morning.

He turned away and went back out into the hall. Tifa was back out in the bar, finishing up cooking dinner. He walked slowly; he really didn't want to be out there, with everyone. They would just stare at him. What the hell was so interesting about him?! Was it his eyes? His hair? He couldn't do anything about those. The least they could do was treat him like a human being. He scowled. Why had he agreed to this dinner, again?

Tifa. When she asked, he couldn't say no. It was impossible, physically impossible for him to decline her offer. Why was that? It was maddening. He didn't still have that childish crush on her, did he? Though, that could explain why he didn't like her looking at him, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. And why his face got hot every time he saw her. He shook his head. He couldn't think about that stuff anymore. He had a new life, and she wasn't a part of it. She had moved on a long time ago. She didn't even know how he felt. He wasn't even there to protect her, and keep his promise. He had failed her, and therefore he had lost her.

Then why was she so worried about him? Why did she care for him, even though he was a total stranger? He was a SOLDIER—wasn't she afraid of him? He had been afraid of SOLDIERs before he had become one, he knew that. Why was she trying so hard to keep him there? Was it because she had lost him before, and wanted him back?

He stopped. He was about halfway down the hall, so nobody noticed. He had lost her before, and now here she was. Apparently, she _was_ a part of his new life. She wanted him here. She was worried about him. He wanted her. He was worried about her.

No. He hadn't lost her. She was always here, waiting for him. And he had abandoned her to go play SOLDIER. And yet, even after so long, here she was, still waiting for him. All he had to do was claim his prize. No! She wasn't a possession! She was a person! He couldn't just _claim_ her like that... Then what was he supposed to do?

He blushed. He had no idea. What did all of this mean? Was she just being nice, and really had no feelings for him? What if she was angry, and was hiding it? She didn't deserve someone like him; she deserved better. Someone who hadn't abandoned her, and broken his promise. He scowled again. He wasn't anything to her, was he? He didn't like that.

Tifa noticed that Cloud had been gone, and leaned over to call into the hallway. She saw Cloud standing there and was startled. "Cloud! Come on in here, we're almost ready to serve!" She smiled. Was that a genuine smile? He didn't know.

And he didn't get to ask, even if he had wanted to. The doors burst open, revealing a big burly man with a gun in place of his right arm. Cloud saw him from the hall and jumped in surprise. That guy was _huge_! And what the hell was up with his arm?! Did Tifa know him? He figured, considering the way the guy just barged in. What the hell did he want?

"Yo, Barret's arrived! Let's get this meetin' over with!" The man yelled. He didn't look angry, just anxious.

Tifa glared at him. "Now, is that any way a guest should act? I could throw you out, you know."

Barret gawked at her. "Hey, I've been waitin' for days! I'm jus' exited. Sorry 'bout that..." He scratched his head. "Hey... what's with the setup? You expectin' someone? Cuz I don' think that'll fit well with the meetin'..."

Tifa sighed with exasperation. "Jessie should have told you... I planned for all of us to have dinner together before the meeting." She turned to get glasses from the cupboard. Jessie shrugged.

"Hey, it's not my fault, you ran away before I could tell you." She folded her arms in front of her, and scowled. "I mean, you shouldn't just blow people off, without listening to everything they're saying."

Barret frowned. "Are you serious? Tifa, you didn' have to..."

Tifa smiled. "Hey, you _have_ been waiting, and so has everyone else. I guess it's just a little celebration."

Barret raised an eyebrow. "Stir fry? Well, I guess that's good. I haven't had any home cooking for a while..." He frowned. "And by the way, where's ol' Spiky? You said he woke up, right?"

Tifa answered, "Of course, why else would we be celebrating?" She turned and started setting the glasses on the table.

"Well, we're having our final meeting before the first mission..."

Tifa laughed. "Okay, we can celebrate because of that too. Cloud, why don't you come out here?"

Cloud jumped. He really, _really_ didn't want to go out there. That man looked like he would be trouble. All Cloud wanted to do at the moment was run out the door, never to return. Then maybe he wouldn't have to deal with all of this. He wouldn't have to deal with _her_... He could just forget his past and start anew. Nobody would know him; they'd know him because of his skills, and not because of who he was, who he had been before.

No. He couldn't just forget everything. Tifa was still alive, and she still cared about him. At least, she acted like it. She wanted him there for her, with her. The least he could do was make her happy, considering he broke the only promise he ever made her. He walked out into the bar, casually. At least he could keep his balance well enough now. If he had fallen right then, he probably would have just died of humiliation.

Barret jumped, as he didn't think Cloud was nearby. Otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned the "mission." Then, he stared at him. And he didn't just stare—he glared. What was his problem? Cloud looked at the floor, and scratched his head.

Tifa noticed the slight tension, and wanted to destroy it before it had a chance to grow. "Barret, this is Cloud. You've already seen him before. And Cloud, this is Barret. He's a friend." She had almost let slip that he was their leader. Boy, what trouble that would've made!

Cloud just stared at the floor, his hands in his pockets. Barret grunted. "Y'know, people normally say, 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'" He scowled. Cloud didn't like him. From the first moment he laid eyes on the man, he knew there would be trouble.

"Well, I wouldn't want to lie..." Cloud said, with no emotion.

"Barret's eyes grew. "Why, you rude piece o' shit! Tifa's been takin' care o' ya, and you're actin' like it's no big deal!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "And how does that have any relevance to my not liking you?"

Tifa intervened once again, when Barret raised his fist, ready for a comeback, possibly a violent one. "Guys! You just met! Can't you just be polite, like normal people?"

Barret wouldn't let up. "Why should I? He's treatin' you like dirt, an' he's a SOLDIER! Why the hell did you let him stay?!" He shook his fists. Or his fist, and his gun.

Tifa frowned. "Cloud hasn't done anything to me. He's just shy, and uncomfortable. Not to mention he probably hasn't eaten for a week! I'm being considerate!" She retorted. After all she had worked for, Barret just had to make things worse. Then again, so was Cloud...

Barret just scowled. He calmed down. Cloud just kept looking at the floor, which set him off again, albeit a little softer in volume. "An' he jus' keep lookin' at the floor, not lookin' at whoever's talkin' to him! It pisses me off! It's like he don't care about nobody else!"

Tifa glared at him. "Calm down and deal with it for a while, okay? Sit down." She pointed to the chair at the end.

Barret grumbled, then walked forward to sit down. Tifa looked at the others, who were speechless. They didn't know what to say. "Well don't just stand there, sit down, everyone!" She smiled. It was amazing how women could be enraged one moment, then turn around and be cheerful to somebody else.

Everyone did sit down, and Tifa started serving. Cloud ended sitting to the right of Marlene, Who sat next to Tifa. Barret was next to her, on the end. Wedge was to the left of him, opposite of Tifa. Biggs was opposite Marlene, and Jessie was opposite Cloud. It seemed like a good setup; Tifa could keep an eye on Barret, and Cloud was far from him. Tifa would have like to sit next to Cloud, so he wouldn't feel so isolated, but she'd rather keep the whole dinner under control. Hopefully, the dinner would go fine, without any problems. Also, Tifa wanted to hear Cloud's story.

Jessie started the small-talk. It started off with them talking about some strange customers that had been there today, and drifted off into other things. Cloud was silent the whole time, listening. At least, he made it look like he was listening. Marlene tried making conversation with him, but eventually stopped trying. For once, she looked troubled. Barret just glared at him, obviously refraining from whatever outburst came to mind. Clearly, he didn't like Cloud. One reason might be that Marlene was sitting right next to him, and now she wasn't happy. Barret wanted to punch him, really hard. Then maybe he'd knock some sense into that conceited, ungrateful scum of a boy.

Everything seemed fine until Biggs brought up the flower girl from the town center. Jessie talked about how she'd like to see some flowers in the bar, and all around Midgar. Then she made the mistake of trying to include Cloud in the conversation. "Don't you think that would be nice, Cloud? Seeing those beautiful flowers in every window? Maybe even growing in flower beds?" Cloud actually opened his mouth to answer "yeah," but he was interrupted.

"Of course he don't. He's Shinra scum! Those damn Shinra don't give a damn about the Planet! An' he's a SOLDIER, those guys just go around killin' people!" He stabbed his food, shoving it into his mouth.

Tifa was irritated. "Barret! That was rude! He may be from Shinra, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care--"

"I'm not with them anymore."

Everyone stopped talking. They stared at the blond, eyes wide and ears open. Cloud scowled. Why did they have to stare like that? "I don't work for them anymore, not since a long time ago."

Tifa looked at him, confused. But he was a SOLDEIR, right? Didn't they work for Shinra?

Cloud went on. "I didn't like what they were doing, the way they did things. They treated their workers like dogs. I didn't like it, so I left."

Jessie frowned. "So... you aren't connected with them at all? Wouldn't they go looking for you? I mean, you _are_ a First Class, kind of important, right?"

Cloud frowned. "Apparently not. They would have found me a long time ago if they really tried—I'm not really trying to hide, or anything."

Barret scoffed. "Yeah, right. Shinra's just gonna let one of their precious SOLDIERs walk away like that. I don't believe it." He shoved more food into his mouth.

Cloud snorted. "You would if you knew how they treated us. Like I said, we were dogs. We were trained to serve them, and only them. And if we couldn't do our job right, they threw us away. Or just worked us 'till we died. I guess I didn't want to be thrown out like that, so I left before they could get rid of me."

Biggs frowned. "That's not right... Shinra even treats its own people like dirt..."

Wedge agreed. "I guess, metaphorically, it could be considered animal abuse."

Everyone stared at him. "What? He said he was treated like a dog..."

Tifa just shook her head in disbelief, and brushed the statement off. "So, after you left Shinra, what did you do?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I left for Midgar, here."

Jessie was confused. "_For_ Midgar? Shinra headquarters is here, in Midgar. Were you working somewhere else?"

Cloud winced. "I think so... I was on a mission when I decided to leave. It was just... too much." He looked down.

Biggs and Jessie looked at each other, looking for advice from each other. Wedge just looked down, then back up at Cloud. "What... what happened that made you quit?"

Cloud winced again. Tifa saw he was in pain, but she wanted to hear what happened. Did he still think he had been in Nibelheim five years ago? When Cloud spoke, it was flat, with no emotion. "I don't feel like talking about it."

Everyone's faces fell. They had been waiting for an explanation for a while. Cloud saw this. "Basically, I saw what Shinra was doing, and I didn't like it. It turns people into... monsters..." he stopped. He didn't want their pity. Shinra didn't spare anyone it ensnared. When you joined them, there was no going back unscathed. He was a monster just like the rest of them.

Everyone ate in silence for a while. Tifa was disappointed; they were supposed to be celebrating! Not only that, but she hadn't really learned anything about her long-lost neighbor. She decided to poke around a little more. "So... what are you going to do after today? I mean, do you have a home?"

Cloud shook his head. "Probably not. I got housing from Shinra, so I don't have a home. I think I'll just start my work and go from there, see where it takes me."

Tifa frowned. "Your work? What are you going to do?"

Cloud didn't seem worried at all. "I'm a mercenary. I'll do anything for anyone, as long as they pay me good."

Barret scowled. "A mercenary? It's jus' like I thought, he don't care about nobody else! He's only out helpin' himself! An' I suppose if Shinra paid you, you'd do a job for them, too?"

Cloud's head shot up, and his eyes blazed. For a second, Tifa thought she saw his pupils turn to slits, like a cat's eyes. Barret stopped his fork in midair and raised his eyebrows. Cloud looked scary, scary enough to frighten Barret. His voice was firm, but not malevolent.

"I'm done with Shinra. When I quit, I decided they weren't worth my time, or my energy. I'd probably go in there and blow up the place if someone paid me to.." He looked away, frowning.

Everyone looked at each other. Cloud noticed, glad that they weren't staring at him, for once. Barret frowned, thinking. He spoke after a while. "Well, then you can go do that. We have a meetin' an' we don' need you here for that."

Tifa scowled at him. "Barret, stop being rude! I'm getting really tired of this!"

Barret retorted. "Well, then why'd you bring him here?! You knew he'd jus' make trouble--"

Tifa couldn't take it anymore. "Because he's my friend!"

Now everyone was looking at her. She huffed, and continued. "That's what friends do, they help each other. I don't care if he's a SOLDIER, and ex-SOLDIER, or the president of Shinra. If he's my friend, I'm going to help him."

Barret gawked at her. "President o' Shinra?! Are you mad?! That guy's a lunatic! And so is this guy, man--"

"Cloud would make a _great_ president, and a lot better leader than you've been!" Oh crap, she let that slip. She stood up. "I'm sorry everyone. Cloud, can I talk to you in the back?"

Cloud frowned. Now he was back on the spotlight. Great. "Sure," he said calmly. He stood, and Tifa led him to the back. Everyone else sat in shock. Had Tifa just doomed their operation, or gained it a new asset? Barret was definitely not happy.

"Dammit, now he's gonna find out. Who's to say he won't go run to Shinra and tell them, huh?! Damn!" He refrained from hitting the table, since there was still food on it.

Everyone was silent, unsure of what to say to break the tension. They didn't need to, however. "Daddy, may I please be excused?" Asked little Marlene, holding up her finished plate.

Barret's frown softened. He figured out how to solve any argument: just shove Marlene in there and she'd handle it. "Sure, baby. Go up to your room for a while, okay?"

Marlene brightened. "Okay!" She jumped off of her seat and ran up the stairs. That kid was too happy.

---

Just a quick note—No, Cloud doesn't have an intervention, duh =P I just named it that, since that's all Tifa seems to do in this chapter...


	6. The Beginning of All Things to Come

The Beginning of All Things to Come

Tifa paced the room, frowning and blowing the hair out of her face. She was breathing hard, like she was about to explode soon. "That idiot, selfish, stupid, arrogant, rude..." she kept going on and on for a little while, Cloud standing helpless.

"Judgmental, hypocritical, _uuuuuuhhhhh!!!"_ She grunted. She didn't even know what to call the man, but it clearly wasn't good. She stopped pacing, her back to Cloud. She huffed, took a big breath, and let it out slowly. She turned around. "I'm sorry about that... I just, couldn't take it anymore,. He's so _rude_! How can anyone _live_ like that?! It's a miracle Marlene hasn't turned out like him yet. Uhh..." she ran her hands through her hair, trying to calm down. Cloud waited, scratching his head. It's a good thing she shut the door this time.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "That must have been really uncomfortable for you. I try to keep him under control, but I can only do so much."

Cloud looked at the floor. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything."

"But I'm the one who thought of the dinner! Oh, if only he wasn't here... but then how would we have the meeting? Oh, what do I do..."

Cloud tried to comfort her. "Well, you would have seen him anyway, right? And if I were here, he would've seen me. You'd have to talk to him at one time, since he's your "leader"..."

Tifa gasped. "Oh no... did I say that? Barret's gonna kill me--"

Cloud shook his head. "He's not gonna do anything. Cuz I'm not getting involved. Apparently he doesn't like me, so I'll just go on my way." He started to leave.

"What? Wait!" Tifa grabbed his arm. "You can't just go! You don't have a home, where will you go?"

Cloud answered with almost no emotion. "I'll just have to deal with that. It's my problem, I'll solve it." He tried to leave, but Tifa wouldn't let go.

"You can stay here! I'll take care of Barret, he listens to me. Sometimes... But you don't have to go out there all by yourself!"

Cloud frowned. "I'm just causing you trouble, like he said. You shouldn't have brought me here..."

Tifa jumped in front of him. "You are _not_ causing trouble. Barret just doesn't like Shinra, or anything that's had anything to do with it. He'll get over it when he sees you're a good person.

Cloud looked at her, then down at the floor. "I'm not a good person. I've done... horrible things."

Tifa wouldn't let up. "You _are_. I don't care what you did before, you're not the same now. You're... you're the same as I remember you, but older. And more mature. The old you would've beat the crap out of Barret, but you didn't do that. And I don't know what you've done, but it can't have been that bad."

Cloud frowned. He was silent for a little bit. "Why... do you care so much?"

Tifa couldn't believe him. "Because I'm your friend! I'm worried about you! I don't want anything to happen to you." She bit her lip and looked down at the floor, to hide the tear that had formed in the corner of her eye.

Cloud looked away. "You shouldn't worry. I'll be okay. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime. But I'm not going to cause any more trouble. Bye." He walked forward, but Tifa wouldn't move.

"Cloud, please don't go. You're not a problem."

"Tifa, just move."

"No. I'm not moving."

"Tifa..."

"Cloud, I need you here!"

Cloud was startled. Was that true? Did she really need him there for her? It wasn't just a delusion he'd made up?

Tifa sniffed. She was crying. Great, now he'd made her cry. He just couldn't do anything right, could he? Maybe he'd just screw everything up even more. He couldn't stay there.

"Please, I need you here. I... I'm really worried about you. When I found you, you looked horrible. I mean, you were there, but you weren't. You just looked right through me, like you were in another dimension. I--" She choked. "I don't want that to happen to you again." She wiped her eyes with her arm.

Cloud thought for a moment. Why the hell was she so worried?! He used to be a SOLDIER! He could take care of himself, for Gaia's sake.

Tifa sniffed. "Not to mention the amount of work in the bar I'll have..." she added. It didn't hurt to try, right?

Cloud frowned. Is that what she wanted him for? Cleaning duty? Waiting tables? He was out of there. He started to leave, when Tifa pushed him back. "Okay, fine. If you really want to leave, fine. You can go. But I want to ask you something first."

Cloud stopped. "Okay..." he said.

Tifa looked up at him with serious eyes. She was about to ask him something very important, he could tell. "Are you sure you cut all your ties with Shinra, and that you'd go blow the place up if you got paid?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow. Was she serious? He frowned again, getting serious. "I'm finished with them. I don't want anything to do with them anymore. But yeah, I guess I'd go take 'em out, if I got paid enough."

Tifa brightened. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

Tifa looked at the floor. She thought for a moment. Cloud didn't move; he knew something else was coming. Tifa struggled to find the right words, then just gave up. "Work for us. We'll pay you, don't worry. And you can live here, and maybe Barret will change his opinion of you."

Was she kidding? She really wanted him to wait tables and wash dishes? He frowned, then thought of something. She had said Barret was their "leader." What exactly did they do?

Tifa went on. "You need to promise not to tell anybody. Please, or I'm not telling you anything else."

Cloud nodded. "I promise." Would she really accept a promise from him, considering he threw the last one out the window?

Tifa took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of AVALANCHE?"

Cloud flinched. Of course he had. But why would she know about them? He nodded, but didn't say anything.

Tifa kept going. "We are AVALANCHE. Our goal is to take down Shinra Electric Company, for all the horrible things they've done."

Cloud's eyes widened. He frowned. "You're AVALANCHE?"

Tifa nodded. "Yes. We're fighting to save the Planet from Shinra."

Cloud kept his frown. "... AVALANCHE is a terrorist group. They kill innocent people. Why would you join them?!"

Tifa looked surprised. "What? No, we don't kill people. That's not what we're after. We just want to take down Shinra and restore power to the people."

Cloud glared at her. "How would you know? Do you even know what you've gotten into?!"

Tifa shrank a little. "Of course I know. Barret wouldn't kill anyone unless they threatened the Planet."

Cloud continued glaring. "Really? He looked about ready to kill me. And how do you know he doesn't have any other plans? What if he wants to completely destroy anything and anyone related to Shinra?!"

Tifa frowned. "I trust him! He knows what he's doing! He may not have told us what we're doing yet, but he has a plan."

"But you don't know what it is. That's a great reason to trust him," Cloud replied, sarcastically.

"He has a little girl!"

Cloud flinched. He hated to see her mad.

She went on. "Marlene is his daughter. He wants to build a brighter future for her. And that means for the rest of the Planet, too!"

Cloud frowned. He scratched his head. "I've seen AVALANCHE. I've fought with them. They're brutal and inhumane; they don't care a bit about their members. They send them by the hundreds to be slaughtered by Shinra troops."

Tifa was stunned. "You fought with them? When?"

"When I was still a cadet in the army. They wanted to kill the doctor I was protecting, because she held valuable SOLDIER information. They didn't care how they did it, they just wanted to take down Shinra. And later, as it turned out, they were corrupt. They wanted to destroy all humans to restore power to the Planet. They were worse than Shinra."

Tifa frowned. "That's not what we're doing. I know it's not. We don't have enough members for that, anyway."

Cloud looked at her. "How many do you have?"

Tifa looked at the floor. "Only the people you saw in that room. Well, Marlene doesn't count."

Cloud was confused. What could a group of a few people do against Shinra? Were they crazy? "Are you sure?"

Tifa nodded. "Yes, that's all we have. We've had a few meetings to get organized and stuff, but we never planned anything. I guess it was to inform us of what Shinra can do."

Cloud frowned. "I guess... you're not the same AVALANCHE."

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked.

Cloud scratched his head. "I think the first AVALANCHE was taken out seven years ago, shortly after I joined the army. I still saw what they did though. I didn't think they'd come back."

"But it did! And we're different than the first one. We're determined to take down Shinra without any casualties."

Cloud frowned. Was that possible? Were these people really bent on destroying Shinra? Truth be told, he didn't think it could be done. Tifa went on. "And if by some impossible chance AVALANCHE becomes corrupt, I'll leave. I'm not just going to go around killing people because they're in the way. There are better and more humane ways to do what we do. So... will you join us?"

Cloud really didn't think it could be done. No way, not with six people. "You guys are crazy. There's no way you can take down Shinra."

"That's why we need you! You're an ex-SOLDIER, right? So you should know how Shinra works, and how we can take them down! Please, we need you. And... I missed you. You can't just leave."

Cloud frowned. What was he getting into? "I don't know..."

"Please?"

He looked at her, and his knees went weak. How could he refuse? After all, she said they'd pay him, right? He sighed. "I guess. But you gotta pay me good. And I'm not promising! I'll try it, that's all."

Tifa brightened. "Great! Of course, we'll pay you, don't worry. Come on, we have to tell the others!"

Cloud's eyes widened as she grabbed his hand, pulling him out the door. She dragged him through the hall and out into the bar. The others looked startled. Cloud was a little embarrassed, and he looked at the floor.

"Attention everyone, I have an announcement." The others were completely taken off guard by her sudden cheerful appearance. Hadn't she just been pissed off at Barret?

"Cloud says he'll help us." Tifa beamed.

Four sets of eyes bulged as she said the words none of them would have expected. Barret was the first to recover from the shock. "T-Tifa, did you tell him who we are?! Does he know what we do?!"

"Yes, he knows. And he also said he'd help us with it. I believe him." Tifa said calmly.

"That was stupid! You didn't even ask us about it first! What if he betrays us?! He's gonna go tell Shinra--"

Cloud glared at him. "When I said I was done with Shinra I meant it. If I go back there, it'll be to take it apart. Now stop judging me because of my past that you know nothing about!" He snarled.

Barret retorted, "Well, maybe I would know more if you'd jus' tell us!"

"Stop!" Tifa yelled. "Just stop, _now_. You guys are being stupid."

Barret frowned. "But, Tifa--"

"He doesn't want to talk about it! And I don't either," she said. "I trust him. He's my friend. So if you don't trust him, you don't trust me, and I'm leaving."

That convinced Barret. He didn't want to lose a member, not when they barely had any to begin with. He would have to compromise. "Mmmm...alright. But I swear, if you show any signs o' betrayin' us, you're ass is out! I'll make sure o' that, you watch."

Cloud snorted, earning a glare from Barret. "Alright... let's get this meetin' over with! He jumped up, nearly knocking the table over. He spun around to face the vending machine next to the wall. Cloud wondered what he was doing over there when Barret pulled a hidden lever. The machine squeaked, then started to descend in to the floor. Where was he going? Cloud followed everyone else down the hole that was created.

There was a whole room under the bar with a table in the middle covered in papers and tools, and a television screen in the corner. There was a computer next to the wall, and some boxes and simple furniture. Was this the hideout for AVALANCHE? It looked pathetic, but it would have to do. Everyone took a seat on whatever they could find, Barret still standing. Apparently he had something to say.

"Alright fools, Once you see this, there's no way you can back out. You've gotta go through with everything from the beginning, and you can't get scared and back out. Here's your last chance." Nobody said anything. "Alright. I'll show you." He turned to a box in the corner and started rifling through it. There looked to be a bunch of random papers inside, some completely blank. Cloud didn't understand. "Gotcha!" exclaimed Barret. He pulled a folder out from the bottom of the box, and threw it onto the table. "That there is our plan, our mission. Look at it carefully, fools, cuz we don't wanna mess this up."

Jessie picked up the folder and looked at the first page. "Wha... is this a bomb?!"

Biggs took it from her. "Wow... I think it is." Jessie began handing out the different pages to everybody, so they could divide up the briefing information. "Look at that... I think those are instructions on how to build it. And is this a reactor floor plan?" He held up a blueprint.

Barret chuckled. "Yeah, it is. An' guess what? That baby's goin' bye-bye with our next mission."

"What?!" Yelled everyone. Well, everyone except Cloud. He just raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," said Barret. "We're goin' in there, and we're gonna set a bomb, then run out as the time ticks. We'll have plenty of time, don't worry."

Jessie was worried. "B-but, don't people work in the reactors? We can't just blow them up! What if they're innocent?"

Wedge looked at what looked like a schedule. "It says here we're taking the train to sector 1, where our target is. It's late at night tomorrow, when the shifts change. That way, we can minimize casualties."

Barret nodded. "That's right. Plus, the train we're on is carryin' most o' those from the next shift."

Biggs saw what he meant. "So then, if we can get in and out before anyone from the new shift enters..."

"Then there's a possibility that nobody will get hurt!" Jessie exclaimed. "That's a good plan, I guess."

Wedge wasn't convinced. "Yeah, but there's still a possibility of casualties. We can't count on everyone from the new shift taking the train, or everyone from the old shift leaving before the explosion. And what if they notice us? We'll have to fight them off. I don't like it."

Barret frowned. "We'll just have to take that risk. It's the only way. An' besides, those people are part o' Shinra. They ain't jus' some bunch o' innocent people. They know what they're doin' an' they don' give a damn about it. If they're in that reactor when it blows, it's their own fault."

Jessie scowled at him. "But, what if that was the only job they could find? We can't just kill them for trying to survive!"

"Think about all the people dyin' because o' what they're doin'! Think about the people we can save by doin' this job! Think about what's gonna happen if we _don't_ do this! The whole Planet's at stake, here!" Barret exclaimed. "We can't save everyone, but we can save all the people who are affected by Shinra. You jus' gotta accept it."

The room went silent. Nobody wanted to admit that they had no better ideas. They didn't want to kill anybody, but this seemed like the only way.

Biggs took a big breath, closed his eyes, and sighed. "I'm with Barret on this one. There's no other way."

Jessie gawked at him. "Biggs! You can't seriously mean you're gonna kill a bunch of people just for working for Shinra!"

"There's no other way! Like Barret said, we can't save everyone. But if we let this continue, a lot more people will die. A lot more innocent little kids in the slums will become orphans, and will probably die because they can't support themselves. And when Shinra sucks the Planet dry of all the mako, _everything_ will die. Can you imagine that? Just a huge hunk of rock with no life on it? How much more of a nightmare would that be?"

Everyone looked at him. They didn't want to think about that. And they knew he was right, they couldn't think of anything better.

"Well, I'm in."

Everyone looked at Cloud. There it was _again_. Couldn't people just control themselves?! He scowled.

"I'm with Cloud and Biggs. I can't see there being any other way," said Tifa.

Jessie frowned. "Me either. But there's _got_ to be... somehow..." she couldn't think of anything.

Barret frowned. "Come on, you guys can't chicken out. You had your chance! You gotta go through with it, no matter what!"

Jessie shut her eyes and cringed. "Oh, alright. But I need time to make the bomb. It's kinda complicated, and we don't have all of the parts."

Barret was pleased. "Oh, don' you worry about that. We'll get 'em, and you can work on it tomorrow until it's finished. We'll help you if you need it."

Wedge was the only one left. "Well? Wedge?" Asked Barret.

Wedge shifted on his box. This didn't sound like a good idea. "I really don't like this... I don't want anyone to die..."

Barret tried to keep his voice from sounding impatient. "Look, there's no guarantee that anyone's gonna die. If we time it right and work fast, we can make sure everyone's out before the place blows. So how 'bout it?"

Everyone was looking at Wedge now, a relief to Cloud. "Oh, man... I really don't like this. Okay, I'll do it."

Barret let out a big whoop as he jumped in the air. "Alright, fools, everyone get some good rest, we move out tomorrow! Whoohoo!" He ran towards the machine again and pulled the lever on the wall, bringing it back down, so everyone could get back up to the bar. Tifa got off of the box she and Cloud were sitting on, Cloud following. When everyone else was on the ground floor, Marlene ran in, melting everyone's hearts like she always did. Well, everyone's except for Cloud's. He was lost in his own thoughts at the moment.

Tifa looked at him. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

Cloud shook his head. "No... I'm just thinking how the guards are gonna fare when I get there. Even if I am a bit out of shape." He scratched his head.

Tifa laughed. "Hey, everything will be fine. I think you're strong enough."

Cloud blushed. He had to ask, he had to know. "Strong enough for what?"

Tifa looked into his eyes, his beautiful, glowing blue eyes. "For anything. You could do anything if you wanted to. Just put your mind to it and don't falter." She smiled.

Cloud looked away; he couldn't stand her smile. "Huh..." he said quietly.

Tifa added, "Also, we're gonna need your strength tomorrow. Bigs, Jessie, and Wedge aren't much of fighters... they're more mechanical than, well, you know." She blushed, and looked away.

Cloud felt awkward. What did they do now? Tifa answered that question. "Well, it's getting a bit late, and you're still recovering. We should all get some rest."

Cloud looked up. "Yeah..." he said, unsure of himself.

"So, do you want to sleep in the back room, or in my room, or, where?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't care. Anywhere's fine."

"Well, the back room has a sofa, and my room has the floor. I think you should sleep in the back room." She giggled. Cloud just shrugged.

"Okay," was all he said.

Jessie ran up to Tifa. "Hey, you don't mind if I stay here again, do you? I want to get to work on that bomb right away, but Barret wants the plans here."

Tifa nodded. "Sure, we can fit you somewhere." She smiled at her friend.

Cloud wondered, did Tifa really mean what she had said, about him being her friend? Did she really care about him, even though he'd broken his promise? His face got hot as he thought about it.

"Hey, Tifa..."

Tifa looked at him." Yeah?"

Cloud looked away. "Was that true, what you said about me being your friend?"

Tifa looked at him for a little bit, then smiled. "Of course, Cloud. You've always been my friend. You're a very nice person, and you're strong, and reliable, and, I could go on..."

Cloud looked at her. "You... really think so?"

Tifa laughed. "Of course! Cloud Strife, what's gotten into you? I think you're tired, come on." She grabbed his hand, and started dragging him towards the back room. She pushed him in there gently. "Go on, get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." She smiled, then shut the door.

Cloud stood there, speechless. Tifa was his friend... He'd always thought she hated him, or at least didn't care for him. Ever since she fell on Mt. Nibel, and went into a coma for a week after that. He said he'd protect her, and he failed. Twice. He'd let Sephiroth hurt her, and did nothing.

Sephiroth... what had happened to him? If he was still alive, Cloud was going to find him, and rip him a new one. Then kill him, for all the pain and suffering he'd caused. Tifa's father was killed because of him... Tifa. The only thing Sephiroth hadn't taken from him was Tifa. He hadn't lost everything, after all. What's more, it looked like she was giving him a chance to redeem himself. He'd do it. He couldn't just leave her behind. He had to join this new AVALANCHE, so she would never be hurt again. That's what he would do. And if Barret didn't like it, he'd have to deal with everyone else. They seemed to like him enough... Everyone. There were more people to protect than before. Would he fail them, like he did Tifa?

No, he wouldn't. Shinra would pay for turning his idol into a monster, and destroying the lives of countless people. Cloud had found his place. All of these people had the same goal. He wouldn't fail them. He would protect those closest to him, no matter what.

He wasn't alone anymore.

---

So there you have it, the end. Please tell me what you thought of it! Please! Well, even if you don't (and you really should, something wonderful and magical might happen to you), thanks for reading. And if you just skimmed over it, I still thank you for looking at it. Now I need to sleep. I mean, start working on my other fanfic, yeah! Check it out, it's about Rufus, and will be a lot longer: I Wish I Weren't the President. Currently one chapter up, chapter 2 coming soon. I will love you forever for reading it =D

Title comes from Mudvayne's two albums The Beginning of All Things to End and The End of All Things to Come. Very original, I know...


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